Time Stone: A Sign of Friendship
by Midna Azusa
Summary: 2,000 years have passed since the Duel King lived. When Yusei encounters a friend who shouldn't even be alive, he tries to help, even if the only way is to go back in time. Well, that mysterious stone showed up just in time, didn't it? Fianceshipping, Faithshipping. WARNING: spoilers, angst. Collab with Shadgirl2.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Just a little intro to another story co-written with Shadgirl2! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX or Yugioh 5D's.**

**WARNING: spoilers, angst**

* * *

How did this happen? Seriously, how?

I was just a normal teenager, until that day. That day, when my old friend turned on me. No, that's not quite right. She didn't turn on me—she went insane. I mean, you'd have to be insane to send a school full of students to another dimension just so you can show one of them your "love." I still say she was after revenge.

And she got it. When we beat her that first time, my friend Johan got left behind with her. I went to rescue him, and the others followed: Manjoume, Asuka, Sho, Kenzan, Fubuki...all of them. And four of those ones died later. My fault. That's what they said. It was all my fault.

That awoke Haou. The Supreme King. The Overlord. The fearful ruler of Dark World. My other half. Jim gave his all to stop him, only succeeding in ending his own life. That was my fault, too. O'Brien was terrified. Seriously, I didn't know the guy even knew the meaning of the word fear, but he ran for his life. I can't blame him, though—Haou was ruthless. _I_ was ruthless.

He did come back, later, and challenged Haou. While he didn't lose, he didn't win, either. Another death, also my fault. It didn't matter that he had stopped Haou and released me from the monster's control. He was gone, and he was never coming back. Just like Jim, just like Fubuki, Kenzan, Manjoume...Asuka. Just like Johan.

Or so I thought. Soon after that, I found Johan. He was possessed by _her—_the maniac who had started all of this. Though that was my fault, too—I had sent her away, trying to help her. Well, that backfired pretty terribly, didn't it? Instead of being made pure and safe, she was made into a revenge-driven maniac bent on making my life hell.

I dueled her—her in Johan's body—trying to save the friend I had come for. The only friend I had left. Sure, there was still Misawa and Sho, but Misawa would be staying in Dark World, and I wasn't Sho's Aniki, was I? He had said so, that I would be willing to sacrifice everything to save the foreigner, the new kid, Sho's replacement as my best friend. Okay, that last part was my own invention, but I'm sure he thought it, at least.

Anyway, I managed to save Johan, and things were looking up for a moment. I went to duel _her_, to settle things once and for all, and I remembered a few things. A friendship, a sacrifice, a promise from a past life. I couldn't wipe her out, send her to the stars, destroy her, when her problems were my fault.

So I fused with her. Using Super Polymerization, the card that had led me to hell. The one my friends had all died for.

That stopped her. It also saved my friends, who hadn't really died but had been sent to a different dimension. Even I came back eventually, and things were pretty much back to normal. Well, except for the way I was acting. But that was easy enough to fix—Yugi did it. He just waited until I graduated. But, with that, everything was back to the way it should be: _she_ was with me; my friends were alive and well, chasing their dreams; and I was traveling the world, helping people. I visited my friends when I was in their area, and I was bound to work up the guts to ask Asuka out eventually, right?

Wrong. After a few years, I noticed something—something terrible. Something I'd rather not think about. Something that made telling Asuka how I felt seem like a really stupid idea.

That fusion changed me. It gave me new powers, made me healthier, stronger, faster, maybe even smarter. But it came with some downsides, too. It gave me some of the powers of duel monsters, duel spirits. Key word being "spirits."

It's been two thousand years since that day, that day when I fused with Yubel. I've had thousands of friends I shouldn't have made, a gift for making friends turned into a curse. Now, soon, one I made two thousand years ago should be reappearing. I've been waiting for him.

I don't think I want to see him. If I don't know he's alive, I can't find out when he dies, and I won't lose him the way I've lost so many others.


	2. An Old Friend?

**A/N: Here's the first real chapter! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX or Yugioh 5D's.**

**Spirits talking (human or duel monster) is in quotes and italics.**

* * *

It was mid-afternoon, a cloudy day outside. Just a typical day in Neo Domino City, and people were going about their business. The only thing even slightly off about this day was the brown-haired teenage boy visiting an old cemetery. Not that there was anything wrong with visiting a cemetery, but it would make more sense to visit one that had been used in the last couple centuries rather than one that had been closed down over 1,000 years ago.

The boy stared at the grave before him, a dull look on his face. Out of all the graves he could have chosen, this was the one that called to him the most. Not Sho Marufuji's, or Johan Andersen's, but this one. The one with the name Manjoume on it.

"Why's this happening...?" he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

He knew better than to stand here—the pain was always worse when he visited their graves. Yet there he was, reading the tombstone, ignoring the last name and the name of the woman's husband. Asuka. Born May 5, 1999. Died September 15, 2092.

He spent a great deal of time at this grave simply because of an ancient regret. He had loved Asuka, yet, because of his...condition, she had married Jun Manjoume. The regret: he had never told her how he felt about her because of it. Why bother? She was married by the time he got the chance.

"Damn it..." he cursed.

A little winged spirit appeared beside him, a sad look in its big eyes. The Winged Kuriboh really wished his partner would stop coming here all the time. All it did was make him hurt more.

_"__Kuri..."_

Another spirit appeared on the boy's other side—a humanoid creature with dragon wings and a third eye on her forehead. Two different colored eyes looked at the boy in concern.

_"__Judai... Maybe we should leave..." _she said gently.

The boy, Judai, ignored her.

_"__Kurii, kurii..." _Winged Kuriboh agreed with the other, whom it called Yubel, also trying to get their friend to leave this place.

Judai didn't listen to that one, either. He was lost in thought, going over everything—the friends he'd lost, the regrets he had... All of it.

"They're gone... All of them... And I never..."

Tears welled up in Judai's eyes.

_"__Kuri, kuri... Kurii kurii kurii...," _the little spirit tried again, saying that this place was way too depressing, and it wasn't good for him to stand around moping all day. It wasn't like it helped him any.

Yubel tried to help it in its efforts. _"Judai, he's right. We should go someplace else, okay? Come on, let's get out of here."_

Again, Judai didn't hear her. He started crying, and his friends feared the worst was coming—another breakdown. Whenever he'd break down, he shouted to the heavens, and it could take him hours to calm down at all. What was worse was the fact that he never heard a word the two spirits said until he was done ranting, when he was slightly more calm.

Their fears were confirmed by Judai's next words. "Why me!? Why is this happening to me!? I keep losing people, and I can't do anything about it! I can't take it anymore!"

_"__Judai!"_ Yubel said. _"Please don't do this again! Look, while you're standing around here feeling sorry for yourself, something like Zero Reverse might be happening again!"_

She hoped to get his attention—sadly, though, this was where he was and what he was doing when that had happened, too. About seventeen years ago, give or take.

Judai stopped, and the spirits held their breath, waiting, hoping.

After a moment, he said, "Right..."

The spirits breathed a sigh of relief, glad that they had gotten his attention before it had gotten too bad. Judai started walking away. He stopped, glancing back over his shoulder at her grave, then ran off.

* * *

Yusei Fudo was many things. Intelligent, a great friend, an amazing duelist, and a Signer, to name a few. But what he wasn't was a miracle-worker. And it was starting to look like it would take a miracle for him to actually get to one of these dates of his on time.

"Hey! Yusei!" he heard Jack call. "Quit messing with that dumb thing and come help me with this damn refrigerator before it blows!"

Yusei sighed, putting his comb down. He turned to his roommate.

"What did you do now, Jack?" he asked.

"And what makes you think _I_ did it!?" Jack demanded.

Yusei crossed his arms, looking thoughtful, and said, "Hmm, let's see. Well, who was it that broke the TV when it got a little fuzzy? Who broke the stove, trying to cook by himself? Jack, a word of advice. If you don't know how it works and something seems off to you, leave it to me, okay?"

"Whatever! Stop wasting time scolding me, and hurry up and fix it!"

Yusei sighed again and pulled out his phone, dialing a number.

"Hey, uh, Aki?" he said when she picked up. "I'm...gonna be a little late...again."

* * *

An hour later, Yusei wiped the sweat off his brow, a wrench still held in his opposite hand.

"Okay. I think she's cooled down some," he said. "Just do me a favor, Jack. Leave it alone until I get back?" Without waiting for an answer, he climbed aboard his D-Wheel and started it up, ready to leave. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Jack, I had a date with Aki that was supposed to have started an hour ago."

"Hold on!" Jack said as Yusei drove off. "And just what do you expect me to do with _this_ while you're gone!?" he demanded, half a cup of ramen in his hand. "Yusei!"

* * *

Aki was getting tired of this. It never failed—every time she and Yusei planned a date, some sort of emergency popped up that Yusei had to attend to, whether it was missing children or Jack blowing stuff up. It was starting to look like she would never have a normal date with Yusei.

It took the guy about an hour to show up for her. "Hey, there," he said. "Sorry I'm so late."

"It's fine. So? What was it this time? _Aliens_ invading?" she asked sarcastically, arms crossed and glaring.

"No. Jack just broke another appliance, causing it to overheat to the point where it was ready to explode again," Yusei answered casually.

Crow drove up just then. "Hey, Yusei! I could use a hand here, buddy! You got a minute?" he asked.

"Sorry, Crow," Yusei answered. "Did you forget I had a date today?"

"Come on, man!" Crow said incredulously. "You were supposed to have started that an hour ago! Are you telling me you're _still_ not done? Now what happened?"

"I'll tell you later."

"Well, then, I'll make this quick. You wouldn't know where I could find a Miss Angela Manjoume, would you? I've looked everywhere for her, and she's nowhere in sight! Honestly, it's like her house is invisible or something. What do you think, Yus?"

Yusei sighed. "I think you're looking in the wrong town, Crow. Try taking the north interstate to the city of Dice, cross the Dragon Heart bridge there, then find Blue Star Street, and she should live around there somewhere."

Yusei ought to know where she lived—he'd helped her move when the moving truck had broken down.

Crow crossed his arms, muttering, "Man, I _hate_ out of town deliveries." To Yusei, he said, "Well, anyway, thanks, bro! Good luck with your date, pal! I'm rooting for ya!" He saluted him with a wink and a grin.

"Thanks, man." Silently, Yusei added, _I'll sure need it. _Aloud, he went on, "Good luck with Miss Manjoume. I hear she's quite the hot-head."

"No need to worry about me, buddy," Crow told him. "Just focus on your date. And remember, we're all behind ya, so make this date a good one, 'kay?"

Yusei nodded and held out a fist. Crow smiled and smacked fists with his friend.

"Well, I gotta run," Crow said. "See ya tonight, man! Don't forget to tell me how it went, okay?"

Yusei nodded. Crow gave another salute and drove off.

That's when Yusei turned back to his date. "Look, Aki, I'm sorry for the—"

"Oh, drop it," she cut him off. "Let's just go before _King Kong _decides to climb the Security tower or something."

She walked past him, looking annoyed. Yusei followed, guilt creeping up on him.

_Great. Aki's really mad this time,_ he thought. _Why does this always happen?_

* * *

_Sheesh, this woman's all business, isn't she? Tell her I want to contact the dead, she sets up the circle for the séance before I even tell her who or why._

It was true. Judai wanted to contact the dead, so he had stopped at a fortune-teller's home, seeking out a woman by the name of Misty. She had thought, at first, that he wanted her to read him, but he had corrected that quickly. He already knew, after all, that his life would never get any better. The raven-haired woman had just gone along with it.

Blue eyes turned on him as she asked for the name of the spirit they would be contacting. Those eyes widened when he said that he wanted to contact an ancient woman named Asuka Tenjoin.

"Okay. Let's see if I've got this," Misty said. "You want me to perform a séance to contact a 2,000-year-old woman? Why?"

"Can you do it or not?" Judai asked, evading the question.

Yubel appeared again. _"Uh, Judai? Is this a good idea? Maybe we shouldn't. I mean, won't seeing her only hurt you again?"_

Misty looked thoughtful.

_I have to do this,_ Judai told Yubel.

_"__But why? What does that matter now? You know you'll never see her again afterward."_

"Well, I suppose I could," Misty said, preventing Judai from answering Yubel. "Still, that's an odd request, young man. Why contact such an ancient spirit, anyway?"

He hesitated, trying to think up some excuse. Finally, he said, "Ancestor...of someone I know." That wasn't a lie—he knew Angela Manjoume, her descendant, after all. "Do you always ask so many questions when someone comes to you for something?"

Misty gazed into his eyes. Whatever she saw must have been downright depressing because she looked deeply saddened after a moment.

"Alright," she said. "But know this. The pain in your heart won't fade away just by saying this..."

Judai didn't answer. He had already figured as much.

"Do you still want to do this?" Misty asked him.

_"__Judai, please say no," _Yubel begged. _"It's okay to have a few regrets in life."_

Truth be told, this wasn't the first time Judai had contacted the dead. Last month, it was Sho. Now, every so often, that spirit showed up for a visit.

Judai hesitated for only a moment before he said, "Yes... Yes, I do."

"Very well, then," Misty said. "Take my hands, and close your eyes."

* * *

It was amazing! It was stupendous! It was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence! Yusei and Aki had actually had a peaceful and uninterrupted drive to the restaurant! No challenges to duel, no calls from anyone... Nothing!

Of course, it was too good to be true. Right outside of the restaurant, Rua and Ruka were in a heap of trouble. Rua was in the middle of a duel with a muscular man with long hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"Ha! You're weaker than my grandma, kid!" the man taunted. "Why not just give up and give me your decks and duel disks already!?"

"Yusei!" Aki said. "Look there! Isn't that Rua dueling someone!?"

"Yeah," he said, parking his D-Wheel. "Wonder what's up."

He ran over to see what was going on, Aki following close behind.

"Rua!" Ruka cried, worried, as her brother fell to the ground. "Are you okay!?"

"I'm...fine," he managed. "Ruka...d-don't worry... I'll p-protect you...I promise... I'll...win this thing...no matter what..."

That wasn't very reassuring. "Rua..."

Yusei looked, wondering even more what had happened. Rua had blood dripping down from a cut on his forehead, and that was only one among many cuts covering his little body. He was bruised and burned as well. In his condition, he could hardly stand, let alone duel. But, to protect Ruka, Yusei knew the kid would never give up this duel.

The man laughed, watching Rua struggle to get to his feet. "Boy, are _you_ an idiot! Give up, already! You can't even stand up, let alone play a card!"

"Y-yeah...? Well...we'll see...about..."

He fell down again. He looked ready to pass out.

"Hey. Why not try picking on someone your own size?" Yusei intervened.

The man looked at him. "And just who do you think _you_ are? We're in the middle of a duel here! So back off!"

"Yusei!" Ruka cheered, happy to see him.

Rua glanced up from the ground. "...Yusei...?"

Yusei walked over and knelt down in front of his friend. "Hey. Rua. Mind if I take it from here?"

"W-well..."

He was about to say no, but his vision blurred. As much as he wanted to continue, he had to admit that he couldn't right now. Not in his condition.

"Urg... S-sure, Yusei. G-go ahead, I g-guess..." he stammered.

Yusei took Rua's cards and placed them on his own duel disk, then stepped in front of his weakened friend defensively.

"I'm your opponent now," he said.

The man laughed. "Whatever, dude. It's your funeral."

"Be careful, Yusei!" Ruka warned. "He fights dirty! He's got a device that deals all battle damage to his opponent as real damage!"

"What?" Yusei turned to Rua as Ruka ran over to her brother. "Is that what happened, Rua?"

"Y-yeah... That c-creeps real tough, Yusei... W-watch your b-back, okay...?"

Yusei nodded as Ruka pulled Rua into her arms.

"Thanks," he said. "And don't worry. I'll be sure to put this guy in his place!"

He glared over his shoulder at the thug before turning back to make sure his friend was alright. Ruka nodded. Rua looked up, grinning, and gave Yusei a weak thumbs up before passing out. Yusei turned back to the creep, and the duel resumed.

Aki sighed as she watched this all go down. _Well, here we go again. You know, I think I'll go ask Misty why our luck's so bad lately. Maybe there's a reason for all this,_ she thought. "Yusei!"

He turned, and she went on, "I'm going home. Sorry, but I can't do this again right now. We both know how it will end."

Yusei sighed, knowing she was right. After all, now he would have to get Rua to the hospital, so there was no way they'd have any time to do anything. He nodded and apologized for the ruined date.

"Just make sure Rua's okay, okay?" Aki added.

He nodded and drew a card. Aki turned away, worried about the consequences of their failed relationship, and headed off to see Misty. Hopefully she could shed some light on not only why their dates were always interrupted, but why people always got hurt when they tried anything.

* * *

Everything was quiet as Misty tried to channel the long-dead spirit. She and Judai sat around a small, round table with only the flickering candles lighting the room. She told Judai to close his eyes and concentrate, and the séance began.

"Asuka Tenjoin... Please, hear my call, and appear!"

A strange wind blew through, blowing out the candles. All was silent for a moment.

"There's someone here..." Misty said. "Oh, great spirit, if you can hear us, please, give us a sign. And, if you are Asuka, then there's someone here to see you."

They opened their eyes to find a single Duel Monsters card face-down on the table. Misty stared at it for a moment.

Finally, she said, "The spirit has sent us a message... Let's see what it means."

She flipped over the card, and Judai saw a monster he hadn't seen in a long time—Etoile Cyber.

Misty wasn't sure what to make of it. "An interesting sign. What could it mean, though?"

Judai was having trouble breathing. His chest felt compressed all of a sudden, as if something were wrapped around it too tightly. "Asuka..." he whispered.

_"__Last chance, Judai,"_ Yubel said. _"Stop this before it's too late!"_

She was begging, and she didn't beg. After all, this wasn't any better for him than standing around in graveyards all day, and the two seemed to come hand in hand lately.

"I see... So she is here..." Misty said. "Oh, dear spirit. Asuka Tenjoin. Please listen to what I have to say. Your precious friend has something important to tell you. Please, hear him out."

She looked at Judai, signaling for him to speak.

"Asuka... I'm sorry," he said. "I should have told you this a long time ago, but...I love you. I always have, and I always will..."

A cold wind blew through, and the card changed: Hidden Affection. Then, slowly, it changed into The Unhappy Maiden.

"She's telling us that she felt the same way and is sad to have lost you..."

Judai was silent. He had thought that getting that off his chest would make him feel better, but it hadn't.

A feeling of unbearable sadness filled the room, as if the spirit couldn't handle being here. After that, everything returned to normal.

"...She's gone..." Misty said.

Yubel looked at Judai worriedly, certain that encounter had to hurt. _"Judai...?"_

He didn't speak, which wasn't very reassuring for the duel spirits. Yubel was certain they'd end up back in that graveyard that she and Winged Kuriboh had just convinced him to leave.

"Well, apparently she has the same regrets, young man," Misty said, breaking the silence. "Perhaps that's why it was so easy to reach her."

_"__Kurii...?"_ Winged Kuriboh asked cautiously, worried by Judai's continued silence.

It took another moment for the brunette to find his voice. "Thanks... And don't call me 'young,'" he said. "I'm way older than you..."

He got up to leave and was almost to the door when Misty spoke.

"Perhaps that shall soon change..."

Judai looked at her. She had her eyes closed.

"...Yusei Fudo... Do you know him...?"

"Yusei...?" Judai asked, eyes widening slightly.

"Carly!? Mikage!?" a woman's voice yelled from outside. "What's going on here?"

Misty grinned. "Perhaps she knows, dear one..."

"What? Who?" Judai asked.

A spirit with blue hair and gray eyes appeared beside him, taking on the appearance of a teenager. A regular visitor since last month's séance, Sho Marufuji. _"Aniki... The Security's outside... I think there's trouble out there..."_

Judai headed outside to check it out. He had seen how Security treated the people in Satellite the last time he was here, after all.

* * *

When Judai got outside, he saw a girl in a striped shirt and a yellow vest with her hands cuffed behind her back. A woman in a gray dress with brown eyes and purple hair was, apparently, arresting her, making her the first Security officer Judai had seen who didn't wear a uniform. Before them both stood a woman with red hair, longer toward the front, and brown eyes. Her outfit was just as eccentric as many he had seen in recent years: a short, black dress with a red and white one over top that was open in the front and longer in the back. Honestly, modern fashion would never make sense to him.

"I swear!" the girl said, sweating. "I wasn't spying on government secrets on purpose! I was just following a scoop! Uh, that had nothing to do with the government, of course!" She laughed awkwardly.

The red-head didn't seem to be following. "...What?"

_"__See...?"_ Sho said, pointing. _"I think they're up to something again..."_

"You can tell it to the judge later!" the Security officer said. "Wait til Jack hears about this one." She smiled at the thought.

Judai knew those three. One of them was Mikage Sagiri. Last he'd checked, she worked for Jack Atlas. Of course, that was when that guy had still been the dueling King. Judai was pretty sure he wasn't anymore, having lost that Fortune Cup to some guy whose name Judai hadn't cared to figure out. The accused was Carly Carmine, a wacky reporter whose stories he occasionally read. Finally, there was Aki Izayoi, the Black Rose Witch. He had seen her duel during the Fortune Cup when her identity was blown. That was the only duel of that event he had seen, actually.

Carly growled. "So that's it, huh!? You're just trying to get me in trouble with Jack again! I should have known that was it! After all, _I_ was nowhere near you guys! I was just minding my own business, taking pictures of a strange, glowing rock!"

Strange glowing rock? Okay, that was a story Judai wanted to read...assuming, of course, that Carly didn't get arrested for trying to publish it.

"Which, it just so happens, Security was sent to retrieve, so there!" Mikage said, sounding every bit the immature teenager.

"That's a violation of freedom of the press!" Carly protested. "I found it first!"

"But _we_ found the energy signal long before you showed up!"

Aki blinked. "Just a moment. What did you guys find?"

"You don't know that for a fact!" Carly retorted.

"Oh, don't I?"

The two women growled at each other. Judai figured it was time to stop standing on the sidelines. He walked over, playing the concerned bystander.

"What's going on here?" he asked.

"You don't need to worry, sir," Aki told him. "We've got this, okay?"

"That's right," Mikage agreed. "Everything's under control. Now move along."

Carly growled again. "You just want Jack all to yourself! I bet you planted that there on purpose!"

"What did you say!?" Mikage demanded.

Aki sweat. "It's not as bad as it looks. Don't worry, I've got this." She smiled at him reassuringly.

Judai just cocked his head.

"You heard me!" Carly went on. "_You_ put that rainbow-colored stone there! You just _knew_ I'd find out about it and come to write a story! Admit your guilt! The people deserve to know that you abuse your power!"

Aki shook that part off and tried to ask again. "You guys found a strange, rainbow-colored stone? Where is it now?"

"My apologies, Miss Izayoi. But this one shouldn't be of any concern to you," Mikage told her. "We don't think it's dangerous or anything. We did take it to the lab for further research, though."

"So, if it's not dangerous, why keep it a secret?" Carly grilled. "The people deserve to know the truth, you know!"

"Because it emitted a mysterious electromagnetic energy that we're not ready to share with anyone yet. We still don't know for sure what it really is, so we plan on letting Dr. Fudo look at it first."

Judai started at the name. "Fudo?"

Aki didn't look much happier than Judai felt. "Oh..."

"Don't worry, Miss Izayoi. This one's not an emergency, so it shouldn't interrupt your date," Mikage assured her.

Aki humphed. _Sure it won't. And I'm sure Godzilla won't attack tomorrow, either... Besides, _my_ date already ended._ She sighed, then said, "Okay, then. Well, good luck with that."

"What's wrong, Aki?" Carly asked. "Don't tell me it happened again!"

"Oh, it happened again, alright! Jack broke another electronic, Crow needed directions, and Rua and Ruka got attacked," Aki vented. _I just hope Rua's going to be okay. Curse this damn curse of ours! It's always getting people hurt! Maybe it's time to quit trying, already._

"I'm sorry," Mikage told her.

"Cheer up!" Carly said happily—odd, considering she was still in handcuffs. "It'll all work out someday! You two are meant to be together!"

Aki humphed again and muttered, "Maybe."

It had taken Judai this long to process Mikage's words, specifically that one that started with a "D."

"Your date... You're Yusei's girlfriend?" he asked her nervously. _Maybe I should leave..._

"Yes..." Muttering, she added, "For now, at least." Louder, she asked, "Why do you ask?"

That was the last answer he wanted, the last thing he needed—to run into Yusei's girlfriend. He stared at her for a moment before he was able to speak again.

"No reason," he said quietly.

_"__Who's Yusei...?" _Sho asked. _"You don't mean the one from back then, do you...?"_

Judai didn't answer him. He did, however, take the time to wish that Sho would stop speaking in that movie-ghost voice. He didn't recall Daitokuji ever sounding like anything out of a horror movie. Of course, it could just be that his memory was failing him.

"Say, does anyone else feel that?" Aki asked suddenly.

"Feel what?" Carly asked. "What's going on now? Are we in trouble again?"

"What is it, Miss Izayoi?"

"I feel...another presence here..."

Her arm started glowing, revealing a claw-shaped birthmark on her arm, startling Judai slightly. As for what it revealed to her, well...

"What!?" she said, startled, looking right at Sho.

"What!? What do you see!? What is it!? What's going on, Aki!?"

She stared for a moment before asking, "Who...are _you_?"

Sho looked around for a moment, then sweat. _"She's looking at me, isn't she...?"_

"Uh... I think so, pal..." Judai said, sweating. _Psychic..._and_ a friend of Yusei's... Great..._

"So, you see it, too?" Aki asked him. "Just who are you?"

The other two stared, confused.

Judai looked at her for a moment before saying, "Nobody. Absolutely nobody."

Aki looked at him in silence for a moment before saying, "So, you're just psychic, then? I mean, you're talking to a phantom."

"Wait, a WHAAT!?" Carly shrieked, looking around frantically. "Where!? Where's the ghost!? I hate ghosts! They're pale and cold and scary! Oh! And they throw things at people, too! AND—"

"Hey!" Judai cut her off, angry. "That's my best friend you're talking about!"

_"__I'm not a poltergeist, people," _Sho muttered. _"Learn the difference already. Sheesh."_

"Oh!" Aki said. "Sorry for your loss, then."

Carly stared, stunned speechless—which Judai believed might have been a first for her, based on his first impression—with her mouth agape.

Judai looked away to hide the tears welling up in his eyes.

_"__Aniki... It's okay... I'm right here, see...?" _Sho soothed.

If anything, this brought Judai closer to tears. Sure, Sho was here, but he was still dead as a doornail. Intangible. Untouchable. To most, invisible.

_"__Aniki..."_

_"__And this is why I told you not to do that," _Yubel said gently, concerned. _"You're hurting even more now, aren't you?"_

Quietly, Judai said, "Leave me alone..."

"Don't worry. You'll see him again someday," Aki said, trying to comfort him.

He started trembling. "No..."

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Judai shook his head, not willing to get into it with another living soul. After all, that would mean making friends and losing them later.

_"__It's okay, Aniki...,"_ Sho said. _"The world can't last forever... I'm sure you'll be okay by then..."_

Aki's eyes widened. "Hold on! What's that mean?" she asked, stunned.

"What?" Carly asked. "What did it say? Aki?"

"Miss Izayoi?"

Judai was silent, not sure if he believed Sho and knowing he didn't want to answer Aki's question.

"Okay, what's he talking about?" Aki asked Judai. "Just what are you trying to hide?"

There was another moment of hesitation. Judai still wasn't looking at the three when he said, "Please, just leave me alone..."

"Aki!" an all-too-familiar voice said.

Aki, Mikage, and Carly all turned their attention to the new arrival. Judai did as well, but it was a wary gaze, and he hoped he wouldn't be seen, standing slightly blocked from view by the three ladies.

_Great. I thought she went home. What's she doing here, of all places?_ Yusei wondered. "Look, I'm sorry about today. Can you ever forgive me?"

"Sure, why not?" Aki said, clearly not happy.

Yusei sighed and turned to Mikage. "Okay, Mikage, what was it you wanted?" he asked.

Aki humphed. _I knew it. I knew that's why he came here. Looks like I made the right choice about quitting _that _date, too._ She sighed.

"Well, Doctor, we just acquired a mysterious stone that we think you should look into," Mikage answered.

"A stone?"

"Yes, sir. Have a look."

She released her hold on Carly for a moment and showed Yusei some pictures of whatever it was they were investigating.

Sho looked at Judai and cocked his head toward Yusei. _"So, is that..."_

"Shut up!" Judai hissed, remembering full-well that Yusei had seen Yubel and Daitokuji all those years ago.

_"__Did she say doctor?"_ Yubel asked, confused. _"I thought he was a duelist?"_

_"__So, then, it is—"_

"I said, shut up!" Judai snapped.

Unfortunately, that earned him exactly what he didn't want—Yusei's attention. The man in the blue jacket looked right at him. What he saw confused him so much, it took him a second to recover.

"Wait, Judai...?" he asked finally.


	3. Explanations

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX or Yugioh 5D's.**

* * *

"So, you know him, Yusei?" Aki asked.

"Yeah," Yusei answered. "We saved the past together."

He looked at Judai questioningly. The others stared, confused and stunned. Without a word, Judai looked away.

Yusei smiled. "It's been a long time, old friend."

There was a pause. After a moment, Judai said, "Yeah, you can say that again..."

"So, wait, if he's one of the guys you fought with back in the past, then why's he here?" Aki asked. "Wasn't that battle based around the year 2004?"

"Yeah, it was," Yusei answered. He looked at Judai questioningly again, his eyes asking the unspoken question of "why are you even here?"

Judai just kept staring at the ground.

"Judai?" Yusei said.

After a moment's hesitation, Judai said, "Long story."

Yusei looked at him for a moment before asking, "You okay, pal?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Judai answered, his eyes still trained on the ground.

"Are you sure?" Aki asked. "Because you don't look fine."

Carly leaned over, handcuffs or no handcuffs, and looked at his face. "Yeah! Your eyes are all puffy, too! Have you been crying?"

"They're right, young man," Mikage said. "What's going on? Is something happening in the past again?"

"The past's fine!" Judai snapped, tensing up all of a sudden. He still didn't lift his gaze.

"Then why have you come here?" Yusei asked.

Muttering, Judai said, "By no choice of mine, you can be sure of that..."

Yusei looked at him for a moment. He wasn't sure what to make of this. Judai was here in Neo Domino City, roughly 2000 years after his time, and he seemed totally depressed. He wasn't acting anything like the cheerful, hyperactive teen Yusei remembered. What could have happened to cause this?

"Come with me," he said. "Let's discuss this in private."

"Yusei...," Aki said.

Judai looked up slightly. "I'd rather not...," he said. _And get the heck outta here..._

Yusei just stared and held his hand out gently. Judai stared at that hand for a moment before taking it.

"Mikage," Yusei said. "Take care of the stone. Tell Akutsu to run a full scan of the stone's energy supply and get back to me."

"Right away, Dr. Fudo," Mikage said with a bow.

Yusei nodded and led Judai off, taking him back to his place.

Once those two were gone, Carly asked, "So, anybody mind telling me what just happened here?"

"I'm not sure," Aki admitted. "I'll ask him tomorrow. It's been kind of a long day."

"I understand," Mikage assured her. "Good night, Miss Izayoi. I hope tomorrow's a better day for you."

"Yeah! For me, too," Carly said. "I can tell this is gonna be a long night..." She sweat.

Mikage grinned evilly. "Oh, you have _no_ idea. When Security's done with you, you're bound to be put away for life."

"Ha! The only way _that _would ever happen would be if _you_ were in charge!"

"I _am_ in charge, you little—"

Aki walked off as they continued, calling back, "Well, goodnight, girls! See you around!"

Granted, the two probably wouldn't hear her, but she figured she'd make it clear that she was leaving, anyway, on the off chance one of them did actually hear her.

* * *

It was around eight o'clock when Yusei got home with Judai. Jack wasn't there, but Crow was back.

"Aw, Yus!" he said. "Don't tell me your date got ruined again. Why's that guy here?" He looked at Judai and added, "Who is he?"

"This is Judai," Yusei answered. "The one I told you about?"

"Say wha!?" Crow said, stunned. "B-but what's _he_ doing here!? What's going on now!?"

"That's...what I aim to find out." He turned to Judai, silently asking the same question.

Judai just looked away again.

"Judai. Tell me why you're here," Yusei said, his tone gentle but firm. "And why you're so upset. What happened?"

Judai stared at the floor in silence for another moment before saying, "They..."

Yusei raised an eyebrow. "They?"

"They what?" Crow asked. "Who's they? Some aliens from outer space? Speak up."

Another silence from Judai.

"Now, come on!" Crow said. "What's your problem? Did the cat steal your tongue or something?"

Yusei just looked at Judai, waiting.

It took another moment for Judai to stumble through a few more words. "Everyone's... They're all..."

He was trembling. Yusei just kept waiting, looking at him with concern.

"Yeah? And what happened to everyone? Don't be shy! Tell us!" Crow said.

"Dead... They're all..."

"Wait, what do you mean, they're all dead?" Yusei asked. "What happened?"

"Time, that's what..."

Yusei looked at him questioningly, wondering what exactly that meant.

Crow stared for a moment before asking, "Time?"

Judai's head snapped up, and there was a mix of pain and anger in his eyes as he exclaimed, "Yes, time! What else steals everything from a person!?"

"Judai. Calm down," Yusei said. "You're barely making any sense."

Crow just gaped—he hadn't expected that at all. Judai lowered his head, fighting back tears. Yusei just watched him for a moment, concerned.

"Hey, come on, pal," Crow said. "It's okay."

Yusei started toward the brunette, unnoticed.

_"__Judai...,"_ Yubel whispered.

"Don't call me 'pal!'" Judai snapped, looking at Crow with that same mixture of hurt and anger. "I don't _need_ anymore friends!"

Yusei put a hand on Judai's shoulder. "There's something you're not telling us, isn't there?" he asked. "Does this have anything to do with that duel spirit you were with?"

Judai looked at Yusei, then lowered his gaze. "Yes..."

Yusei looked at him, signaling him to go on. Judai took a deep breath.

"I...I've been... I'm not aging... I can't die..."

Yusei's eyes widened. "What!?"

"So, what are you, then? Some kind of vampire or something?"

Another pause. Then, "I don't know..."

"It's alright," Yusei soothed. "Can you tell me how this happened?"

"...I fused with Yubel..."

"Yubel? What's that?" Crow asked.

"The duel spirit in my head..."

"I thought so," Yusei said.

"So, wait, you _knew_ all this, Yus!? Just who _is_ this guy!?"

Yusei shrugged. "Don't know. I found out about the spirit when we first met. She was standing on the roof we were sitting on. But, unlike the bond Kuribon shares with Ruka, she seemed to be attached to Judai. Almost like they were one solid being or something." He turned back to Judai and asked, "So, you fused with that duel spirit and stopped aging?"

Judai nodded.

"Is that all it did?"

"I got some new powers..."

"What about your health? Have you gotten sick since then?"

"Yes... Though it doesn't do much..."

"So, are you saying you don't get stuff like pneumonia or malaria? Or can your body simply fight them off?"

"I had cancer once... It killed me... Though, clearly, that didn't last..."

Yusei raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying you're dead?" he asked.

Crow cringed away, saying, "B-but..._that_ would make you a zombie, wouldn't it!?"

"I don't know what it would make me... I keep coming back," Judai admitted.

_Hmm. Like a duel monster..._ His hand still on the boy's shoulder, Yusei looked at him and said, "I'm sorry."

Crow just kept staring, stunned. This was way more than he was expecting. An ancient teenager in their home, alive, having been around for 2000 years.

A white D-Wheel pulled in—Jack was back.

"Hey. What's up?" he said by way of greeting.

"Oh, hi, Jack!" Crow rounded on him. "Thanks for breaking the refrigerator earlier! Now I have to replace most of our food! Can't you _ever_ leave stuff alone!?"

"Hey, it's not my fault if the damn thing spit ice at me," Jack countered.

"So that means you make it worse!? Yusei's got better things to do than fix our stuff all day!"

"Speaking of which," Jack said, purple eyes honing in on the visitor, "who's that guy?"

"That's Judai," Yusei answered. "I brought him here to live with us. Assuming he agrees." He looked to Judai for an answer.

"Say wha!?" Crow asked. "You never said anything about that!"

Yusei was still looking at Judai, waiting for an answer. Judai stared at him for a moment.

"What...?" he finally asked.

"Hey, wait a minute! Why are we always taking in a bunch of strangers!? We barely have enough room for ourselves, let alone another house guest!" Jack countered. "Remember what happened to the last one?"

"Calm down, Jack. Judai's not an android like Bruno was."

Judai stared at his friend for a moment, wondering what exactly that meant. "Do I even want to know?"

"Besides," Yusei went on, "he's got no place else to go, and he needs me."

"Well, I see no harm in having him stay here," Crow said. "I kinda missed having three dudes to talk to."

Jack crossed his arms, still not happy about this idea. Then again, he was planning on leaving soon, so why the hell not? He humphed.

"I guess it couldn't hurt. Just stay away from my things, you got that!?" he snapped at Judai.

"Well, Judai?" Yusei asked.

Judai hesitated for a moment. "Okay," he said at last. _I just know I'm gonna regret that later... Well, I'll __just leave before it gets to that point! And I won't let myself get too close to Jack or Crow. Shouldn't be too hard to avoid them...I hope._

* * *

A little while later, Jack got a call from Carly, asking him to come and bail her out. Extremely annoyed, Jack went down to the Facility to bail her out and grill her about what exactly she had done to get herself arrested in the first place. That idiot girl was just a pain in the neck. Could somebody remind him of why, exactly, he put up with her again?


	4. The Stone's Powers

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX or Yugioh 5D's.**

* * *

Judai mostly kept to himself that night. Yusei got the feeling he'd be doing that the entire time he was staying with them, and he didn't like it. If only there was something he could do for his friend.

When morning came, Judai wasn't any less reclusive. He did, however, come down to get breakfast, though Yusei had the feeling he'd be taking it back to his room with him.

As Yusei wondered what he was going to do about Judai, the phone rang. He answered and saw the crazy scientist Akutsu.

"It's amaaazing!" Akutsu said to him, drawing out his words as usual. "The stone, the stooone! You _must_ hear about the stoooone!"

"What is it?" Yusei asked. "What have you found out?"

"Stone?" Jack asked, having not been told about anything that had gone on before he got home last night. "What stone?"

"The energy emitted from the stone is fuuull of the most increeedible power we have ever seeen!" Akutsu continued.

Sho appeared beside Judai, unseen by Yusei, Jack, and Crow.

"Why, it appears to have the power to trrravel through time!" Akutsu did some spinning as he said this. "Maybe even space! Why, if we could haaarness its powers, we could use it to—"

"I think we should leave it alone," Yusei cut him off. "Messing with time's a very dangerous thing to do. One wrong move, and our world may no longer exist."

Akutsu deflated. "So, what you're saying is..."

Yusei nodded. "Find a safe place to store it so no one can use its powers."

While Judai was trying to ignore this call, Yubel had perked up at the time-travel bit. She looked thoughtful. _"Hmm. Travel through time... Judai, why don't we..."_

"No," he said aloud.

_"__Why not...?" _Sho asked, getting the same idea as Yubel. _"Maybe there's some way to reverse all of this... Then all the pain will go away..."_

"You heard Yusei," Judai told him. "Besides, I'm not that much of a glutton for punishment... I remember what was going on when I fused with Yubel..."

Judai thought back to that day, knowing that he could have never lived with himself if he had taken any other course of action. After all, Yubel was his friend, and her problems were his fault in the first place. Honestly, he deserved this for the way he'd treated her _and_ his other friends.

_"__But what if none of that happened either...?" _Sho asked.

Judai looked at him, annoyed. "How do you think we're gonna undo my whole life?" He closed his eyes and shook his head. "No, better leave it alone."

_"__Hmm."_ Yubel thought about it for a moment. _"Well, there may be one way..."_

"Shut it, alright!?" Judai snapped.

_"__Just hear me out. What if there was a way to get to space and get to me _before_ I fell to pieces and came back for revenge?"_

"We're not gonna go screwing with the space/time continuum!" Judai yelled, earning the attention of his three new roommates.

"Judai? You okay?" Yusei asked.

"Yeah," Judai said, looking at him. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Sho pouted, crossing his arms. _If he won't tell them, then I'll do it myself!_

The lights started flickering. Judai closed his eyes and sighed. The other three jumped, slightly startled.

"What's happening!?" Yusei asked.

"Don't look at me!" Jack defended. "I haven't touched the lights yet!" He glared at the offending electronics. "But, if they don't stop blinking..."

Crow looked at the garage door. "WHAAA!?" he exclaimed, his eyes wide. "H-hey, guys! LOOK!"

The two turned to where he was pointing and looked, horrified. Blood was spreading across the garage door, forming some sort of message.

"What in the world!?" Yusei exclaimed.

Since this had never happened before, Jack suspected their new roommate might be behind it somehow. The message that appeared made Yusei wonder the same thing.

Written in blood on their garage were five letters: S. T. O. N. E.

"Stone!?" Jack turned to Judai and demanded, "Hey, you! What the hell's going on here!?"

"So, you _are_ a zombie, then!?" Crow asked, turning to him as well.

"Hmm," Yusei said. "Stone..."

Judai growled, his eyes still closed. "Cut it out, Sho!" he yelled, opening his eyes and looking around the room. "I'm _not_ doing that!"

"Doing what?" Yusei asked.

Jack and Crow just stared.

"S-so, what, Yus?" Crow asked after a moment. "_You_ know what's happening here or something!?"

"I've got a guess," he answered. "I think this 'Sho' character is an old friend of Judai's here. And he's trying to tell us something. Right, pal?" He looked to Judai for confirmation.

Judai crossed his arms. "Maybe..."

"So, back to my other question. What is it he wants you doing?"

Certain that Yusei would put an end to this nonsense right then and there, Judai answered, "Using that stone you're guys have to go back in time and change everything. Apparently, _I'm_ the only one with any self control, which is weird since _I'm_ the one with the problem, Sho!" He glared at the sky as he finished.

A ghostly whisper echoed through the room, heard by all. _"Aaasukaa..."_

"Asuka!?" Crow demanded, looking around frantically for the speaker. "Who's Asuka!? What's going on here!? Sho!? T-that you again!?"

Judai's expression darkened. "Sho...," he warned.

_"__Here...comes...the bride...," _the ghost whispered again. _"All...dressed...in...BLACK..."_

"Okay! What the _devil_ does _that_ have to do with anything!?" Jack demanded.

Yusei looked thoughtful, almost seeming oblivious to the situation.

"Sho, I swear, if you don't shut up _right now_...!" Judai threatened.

The voice sounded different with the next words—female. _"I'm sorry, Judai. But, if that's really true, then, I guess... I...don't think we can be friends anymore... At least, not right now, okay?"_ There was a pause, then the voice was back to normal, saying, _"Then came the wedding... Hee hee hee..."_

"Okay, that thing's really starting to freak me out!" Crow said. "What is it, anyway!? You guys _sure_ it's that 'Sho' guy!?"

Yusei's eyes widened as he realized what the spirit was trying to say._ Oh, no._

Judai's eyes teared up. "SHUT UP!"

"Judai," Yusei said. "Did you have a girlfriend way back then?"

"What!?" Jack and Crow asked.

"Where'd he get that from!?" Jack wondered.

Judai lowered his head. That was answer enough for Yusei.

"...You miss her. Don't you?"

Jack and Crow just stared, stunned. Judai, on the other hand, started sobbing, his head still lowered to hide the tears. Yusei watched him, thinking.

Jack recovered and said, "Okay. What's going on here!?"

Winged Kuriboh and Yubel appeared beside Judai, trying to comfort him.

_"__Kurii...," _Winged Kuriboh said, rubbing against his partner.

_"__It's okay, Judai," _Yubel told him. _"Don't cry. We could always use that stone to—"_

"How many times do I have to tell people to SHUT UP!?" Judai interrupted.

"Judai, when did this happen, and why?" Yusei asked, gentle but firm.

Judai looked at him, his eyes bright with tears. "What?"

"When did you fuse with her?"

Judai stared for a moment before saying, "During my third year of high school... Why?"

"And what year was that?" Yusei pressed.

"Why?"

"Good question," Crow said. "What are you thinking, Yus?"

Yusei just stared at Judai, his arms crossed.

Judai held his silence for another moment before hesitantly saying, "2017... Why?"

"Yeah, pal," Crow agreed. "No offense, but what does that matter? It's not like we can just—"

"Oh, yes, we can," Yusei cut him off.

"What!?" Jack and Crow asked.

"Are you saying you want to go back in time!? And what the blazes do you want to do that for!?" Jack demanded.

"Yeah, bro! Didn't you just say that—"

"I know what I said, but this is different. Judai doesn't belong in this time period, and the only way to fix that is to go back and stop him from fusing."

"Fusing?" Jack asked. "Fusing with what?"

"It's a long story, Jack," Yusei said. "I'll tell you later, okay, pal? Right now, though, Judai and I need to head out to my lab and retrieve the time stone."

"I already said, I'm not doing that!" Judai snapped. "You have no idea what that might do!"

Yusei started, "I know it's a huge risk, but—"

"But nothing!" Judai interrupted. "You don't know what kind of weird crap was going on, so don't even try to change it! I doubt your time will exist if you do!"

"Then why don't you tell me? Maybe there's a better place we could try for."

"When I fused with her, she was insane and vengeful, and there wasn't anything else that could have stopped her," he answered. "Then we wound up waking this great evil, though that was just the final straw. Point is, Yubel got screwed up by something that happened when I was five, and changing that will change everything, too." Thinking of what would happen if that little mistake of his had never been made, he added, "Heck, I'll probably give up dueling, then the Light of Destruction will wipe everyone out! That, or commit mass murder..."

"Hmm... So, you're saying there's nothing we can do?" Yusei asked. "No point in history that we really didn't need that was a part of all this?"

"I don't know! Just quit it, okay?"

A light bulb appeared over Sho's head as an idea came to him. Yusei was having an easy enough time getting Judai to speak up, so hinting at the events of their third year might get him curious enough to ask and, maybe, lead them to Yubel's idea of what time to go back to in order to fix all of this.

The ghostly whisper was heard again. _"Duel...duel...duel..."_

"Sho, I'm not in the mood for more torture from you right now, so shut it!" Judai snapped, eyes closed and arms crossed.

_"__Aniki... That's mean... I'm just trying to help...," _Sho said, only heard by Judai.

Yusei was quiet a moment, wondering what exactly that had meant. "Duel...?" he asked finally.

"You're not helping, Sho!" Judai snapped. "Seriously..." Silently, he added, _Writing stupid messages on the wall, imitating and quoting Asuka...and now, he's doing _that_! How is _any_ of this helping!?_

"So, does that mean that dueling could help?" Crow asked. "But that makes no sense! How can we solve _this_ one with a duel?"

"Judai, what did he mean by that?" Yusei asked, just as Sho had been hoping he would.

"He sounded like a zombie!" Crow said, freaking out. "_Is_ he one, just invisible or something!?"

"Wait, what!?" Jack demanded.

Judai, who had missed the part about being invisible and was tired of being called a zombie, thought Crow was talking about him again. He yelled, "Yes, I'm a zombie! Zombies are the living dead, and I've been sent to the stars plenty of times! Are you happy!?"

Jack gaped at him, hoping he was joking and unsure what "sent to the stars" meant.

_"__Aniki...,"_ the voice said again. _"Duel me...duel...duel...duel...let's duel...duel..."_

Crow, tired of being haunted, said, "Alright! I'll duel you! Just quit it already!"

_"__Duel...duel...duel..."_

Judai crossed his arms, annoyed. "Don't duel him, he's playing Duel Zombie."

"Duel Zombie?" Yusei asked.

Jack, trying yet again to get a handle on the situation, asked, "What the devil is going on here!?"

Judai looked at Jack and said, "You're talking to a 2000-year-old friend of Yusei's who he met when he followed some guy from the future of _now,_ even, back in time after he stole his Stardust Dragon. If not for Yusei, I would have found out a lot sooner that I can't die, the world would have ended, and we wouldn't be having this discussion."

He turned to Yusei and went on, "As for Duel Zombies, Yubel turned everyone into them. They only exist in alternate dimensions, and they ambush you and force you to duel until you lose. Once you lose, you become one of them." Glaring around the room, he snapped, "What does that have to do with anything, Sho!?"

"Why did Yubel do that?" Yusei asked.

"And what do you mean, you're 2000 years old and can't die!?" Jack demanded. "Everyone dies eventually!"

"Yeah, and then comes back again and again and again... Sheesh. Even after the light's been beat, I still keep getting reincarnated...," Judai said quietly to himself. "And you'd have to ask her," he answered Yusei. "I'm a bit fuzzy on the details after 2000 years, especially since I was kinda busy trying to survive and save my friends, including Duel Zombies Sho and Manjoume!" He glared at the sky again as he said that last part.

_"__I needed their energy to revive," _Yubel told Judai in his head, and he could just hear the shrug in her tone. _"Sue me."_

"Right. She needed their energy to revive after over ten years in space being attacked by the Light of Destruction," Judai said, not caring if anything he said made any sense just then.

"Space?" Yusei asked.

Knowing Yusei could see her, Yubel appeared and said, _"Yeah. And, once that hell was finally over, I crash-landed back to Earth, falling apart in the harsh atmosphere. I may have been fine if not for that."_ She looked at Judai, arms crossed, and added, _"Thanks again, Judai. I _really_ enjoyed my trip."_

Judai looked at her, depressed, and said, "Yeah, well, you're getting your revenge now, aren't you...?"

Yubel was silent for a moment. Finally, she said, _"I'm sorry... That was uncalled for. Still friends?"_

"Yeah," he said. "Still friends."

Crow and Jack gaped—apparently they could also see Yubel.

"So, I guess that's Yubel, huh?" Crow asked, calm. Louder, he demanded, "But who's the other guy!? And why can't we see him!? Is his name really Sho!?"

Yusei ignored his frantic friend, figuring that the spirit known as Sho was just hiding, and turned back to Judai.

"So, let me get this straight. You sent a card to space that crash-landed in pieces back to Earth, causing the spirit to want revenge, and this happened?"

"That sums it up nicely, based on what you know," Judai said grudgingly, arms crossed.

"So, if that card hadn't fallen apart and was saved by you, what would have happened then, I wonder?"

Judai shrugged. "I don't know."

Yusei looked thoughtful for a moment. Finally, he looked at Judai and asked, "Wanna find out?"

Judai just stared at him. Apparently that was a no.

"Judai, listen," Yusei said. "That spot sounds like it might make a huge difference _without_ damaging the space/time continuum. Perhaps, if we go there, we can free you from this."

Judai hesitated. "I don't know..."

Sho appeared beside Judai, still hiding from the three Signers, a lame look on his face. _"Rick Manjoume sure was cute, wasn't he...? With his dark black hair and hazel—"_

"Zip it!" Judai snapped.

_"__Well...?"_

Judai hesitated again. It wasn't just the idea of destroying the space/time continuum that was holding him back—he didn't want to cause himself anymore pain, and he wasn't sure what would happen if he went back in time to when everyone he cared for was still alive.

"Alright," he relented. "What have I got to lose, anyway?" Secretly, he thought, _I know I'm gonna regret this..._

Yusei smiled and said, "Then let's go, Judai. Let's find that one spot in time and reverse it."

"Whoa," Crow said. "Hold up. You're really going? But won't you have to go to outer space? How are you gonna do that?"

"Crow's right, Yusei," Jack said. "You're not an astronaut, and I doubt you'd be able to find that card, anyway."

"Hey, we've done the impossible before, Jack. For example, remember Z-ONE? So, all we have to do is figure out how, and we can stop this from there."

Crow asked, "So are you saying we should come with you, then?"

"That's up to you to decide," Yusei answered, heading for his D-Wheel. "But I'm going, and that's final. Let's go, Judai."

Judai walked over hesitantly, still not sure that this was a good idea. The two boarded Yusei's D-Wheel and headed out.

Crow stood there for a moment before calling, "Hey! Wait for me, pal!"

He hopped on his D-Wheel and went after them. Jack chose to stay behind, seeing this as a foolhardy quest anyway. Though staying behind meant he got to deal with the visitors who came over—Aki and Carly, who was carrying a gift basket.

"Uh, hey, Jack," Carly said. "Um, about last night..."

Jack jabbed a finger in her face, annoyed, and said, "I don't know _what_ you were doing to get yourself arrested, but you'd better _never_ do it again! I've got more important things to do than visit the Facility at 1 in the morning, understand?"

Carly held up her basket. "Right! I'm sorry, Jack! Here! Please accept this apology basket as a token of my thanks, too!"

Jack stared blankly at the basket for a minute before taking it. He was about to ask Carly to leave when Aki said, "Excuse me, Jack? But where's Yusei? I thought he'd be here."

"He took some kid from the past to his lab to see about traveling back in time with him," he answered. With a humph, he muttered, "I'm sure this'll never work. What the hell's he thinking?"

"He's doing what!?" Aki asked. "Why!?"

"Good question! And what do you mean, some kid from the past!?" Carly added frantically. "You mean that boy from last night!? What's going on now!?"

Ignoring the frantic reporter, Jack explained to Aki what had happened. When he had finished, Aki decided she wanted to go, too, so Jack escorted her there, with Carly following in search of a story.

* * *

On the way to the lab, Yusei called Akutsu to tell him about the change of plans for the stone. Much to his annoyance, the guy had been continuing his study of the stone after getting Jagger's approval. Well, he supposed it was for the best, seeing as he had changed his mind about using it.

It was around noon when the three arrived at the lab.

"Chief!" Akutsu greeted. "I just _knew_ you'd change your mind! I've already prepared the tiiime stone for immeeediate use! It's hooked up to the Mooomentum, and everything's running smooothly, sir!"

As he spoke, he was spinning and waving around like a maniac, then suddenly, with the last word, stopped and bowed calmly. Best Judai could figure, the guy was one of those mad scientists you saw in science fiction movies.

"Great," Yusei said. "Then set a course for..." He looked at Judai, wondering what time it was that they were shooting for.

_"__I met Viper at the beginning of O'Brien's first year,"_ Yubel said in Judai's head. _"Sometime around then should do. Like the summer before?"_

Judai hesitated before saying, "I guess the summer before I started high school...so, 2014."

"Set a course for the summer of 2014!" Yusei said.

"Right awaaaay, sir!" Akutsu said, hurrying to do just that. He said something else to Yusei, but Judai missed it as a voice spoke in his head.

_"__Okay, that guy's nuts,"_ Yubel observed. _"And I thought Brron was bad..."_

Judai winced at the name, as it brought back some very painful memories.

"Come on, guys," Yusei said, "we better get ready. Akutsu told me that we need to be in the room with the Momentum generator in it, so we better hurry over there."

The trio started walking off when they heard a voice behind them.

"Yusei! Wait up!"

They turned to see...

"Aki!" Yusei said.

"I'm going, too," she told him. "This mission could be dangerous, and you may need me."

Yusei nodded, then caught sight of Jack and Carly. Jack had a few bags in hand.

"You can count me in, too. I need a vacation from this place," Jack said, glancing at Carly.

She grinned awkwardly, laughing nervously. "Again, I'm so sorry, Jack. But I didn't know who else to call, seeing as I don't really have any family or friends in the area."

"Just try to stay out of trouble next time, alright? Because I'm not bailing you out again. You got that?" he said, annoyed. Really, somebody remind him of why he put up with this girl?

"Right! Sorry, Jack!" she said, bowing her head repeatedly. "I'll be more careful from now on! I promise!"

"Oh, you'd better," he muttered.

Yusei chose to ignore the weirdness. He nodded and said, "Great. Thanks, guys. I appreciate it. Now let's go."

"Wait!" Akutsu said. "Before I forget, you should probably take this visor with you. It contains the controls that should get you home."

It never ceased to amaze Yusei how fast this guy worked. He nodded, taking the visor and putting it on.

"Last chance. You sure this is a good idea?" Judai asked, really hoping they'd say no.

Yusei and Crow had heard plenty of this on the way over. Tired of his constant doubts, they chose to ignore him. Jack and Aki followed their lead.

Arms crossed, Jack asked, "Before we go, anything we should know about changing the past? Like things to avoid, possible causes of black holes? You know, stuff like that."

"Just one! Only alter the course of the event you aim to change!" Akutsu said. "You can talk to annnyone there, but don't disturb their lives tooooo much! For example, don't fall in love, or you'll wind up being your owwwn grandpa!"

"Thanks for the tips!" Crow said. "Now let's get going!"

The four Signers walked off, Judai following reluctantly.

* * *

In the room with the Momentum, they heard Akutsu's voice ask if they were ready. Yusei affirmed that they were, and the quickly-built time stone addition to the Momentum was activated, Akutsu going nuts the whole time.

While it warmed up, a green-eyed spirit entered the Momentum room with another spirit, a red-eyed one. The green-eyed spirit watched happily.

_"__Looks like it worked,"_ he said. _"Too bad it took me 2000 years, though. Aw, well. So, what do you say, pal?"_ He turned to his friend. _"Care to tag along?"_

The red-eyed spirit nodded.

_"__Great! Then let's go! I can't wait to see how this'll turn out!"_

The red-eyed spirit nodded again, and the two turned into lights, one red and one green, before hiding themselves in Jack's luggage bag.

The room filled with a rainbow light, and the gang found themselves in a wormhole, heading back in time, hopefully to fix Judai's problem.


	5. Right Time, but Very Wrong Place

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! Things start getting a little ugly here. Also, the spirits mentioned at the end of the last chapter will remain unnamed until close to the end, but feel free to guess who they are. Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX or Yugioh 5D's.**

* * *

"I summon Hell Gainer!" Manjoume said. He didn't really have an opponent for this "duel" of his—he was simply practicing for when he started at Duel Academy this fall. "Next, I—"

He stopped as a strange light appeared right in front of him. As it faded away, there were five people standing there. There was a blond man with purple eyes dressed all in white; an orange-haired guy, shorter than the blond, with gray eyes wearing a vest and a headband with rings through it; some dude with black and yellow hair and blue eyes in a black and red shirt and blue jacket; a red-haired girl in the weirdest dress he had ever seen; and a brunette in jeans, a black shirt, and a red jacket that distinctly resembled the Duel Academy uniforms.

"What the hell!?" he exclaimed.

* * *

Judai started at the sound of that voice, torn between joy at hearing it again and an overpowering drive to get out of sight.

"Uh, Yusei," Aki said, "I think we forgot something important when we came here..."

"No duh," Jack said. "Like maybe we should've planned to arrive in a more _secluded_ part of the world?"

"Sorry, guys. Unfortunately, we can't control that," Yusei said, sweating.

"Okay, you bunch of freaks!" The black-haired, black-eyed boy, wearing a deep red outfit similar to the Obelisk Blue uniform Judai had first seen him in, demanded, "Just who the hell are you, and where did you come from?"

Judai stared at him, unable to believe his eyes. _Manjoume..._

"Greetings, stranger!" Crow said, stepping forward. "My name's Crow, and we're from the fu—"

Jack grabbed him and pulled him back, cutting him off. "Are you crazy!?" he hissed at him. "We can't tell them _that_! They'd freak out! Just act casual, okay?"

"Yeah, you especially can't tell _him_ that!" Judai whispered. "That's Manjoume! Let's just get out of here, okay?"

"Manjoume?" Yusei whispered.

"Friend of mine. He married my girlfriend," Judai whispered, looking like he'd rather not talk about that.

"And you're still friends?" Jack asked.

Manjoume smirked. "Heh. And here I thought you clowns couldn't get any weirder. What are you whispering about?"

Judai just stared, not trusting himself to speak. What were the odds they'd show up right in front of Manjoume? What _were_ the odds, considering they were in Domino City? It wasn't like it was a small town or anything!

Yusei took control of the situation. "Look, I'm sorry for the scare, kid. We didn't mean to surprise you like that. See, we're not from around here, and, well, this may sound kind of weird, but we're looking for a spaceship. Any idea where we could find one?"

Manjoume raised an eyebrow. "A what? What _are_ you guys? Some stranded aliens or something?"

"Uh, we're not aliens, little dude," Crow said, "but we really _do_ need a spaceship. Preferably before this summer's out?"

Manjoume just stared at them for a long while. Finally, he said, "Okay. You people are weird." He looked at Judai, confusion written all over his face, and asked, "And, speaking of, why does it feel like I should know one of you?"

Judai looked at him, just as confused. "You shouldn't," he said. _Not yet, anyway._

Manjoume humphed. "Guess it's just another reason you're all weird... As for that spaceship, I'm afraid you're out of luck. We just ran out at the Space Freaks store."

Jack growled. "Why, I oughta...!" he said, charging the younger boy.

Yusei put up an arm to block him. "Easy, Jack. We should be expecting this sort of thing. This does sound kinda weird, after all."

"Yusei's right, Jack," Aki said. "We had it coming, considering..."

Jack growled, but he backed down.

"Heh," Manjoume said. "Nothing but a—"

"Manjoume!" a female voice said. "Don't you ever get tired of that!?"

Judai's eyes widened in horror. _That voice...!_

Everyone turned to see a girl with long blond hair standing there, arms crossed, hazel eyes glaring at Manjoume. She wore a white tank top with deep red trim, and a pleated miniskirt of the same color, the same shade as Manjoume's outfit. If Judai had to guess, they had just gotten out of school, so this was probably their last day at the Duel Academy's middle school. But, really, did it have to be _her_?

"Seriously, why do you always have to be such a jerk?" the girl asked.

"Oh. Hey, there, Tenjoin-kun," Manjoume said with a grin.

Judai stared, looking like he had just seen a ghost. All things considered, it was the same thing to him.

"So, wait, that's Asuka?" Crow said quietly, taking a guess based on the look on Judai's face. "The one that ghost thingy Sho was referring to?"

"Yes...," Judai said faintly.

_"__Judai? You okay?"_ Yubel asked, worried.

_I don't know, Yubel. I don't know..._

"Whoa," Crow said. "She's pretty sweet, dude. Looks like a keeper."

If Judai hadn't been trying so hard to keep his heart from exploding, he might have strangled Crow for that comment, especially since he'd lost her in life.

"Honestly, can't you just learn to leave people alone already?" Asuka asked Manjoume.

"But, Tenjoin-kun," he defended. "These guys claim to be from outer space and are looking for a spaceship! Not to mention I know_ that_ one, sorta..." He eyed Judai. "The point is, they're _clearly_ crazy, right?"

Asuka stared at them, stunned. "W-what?"

"Hey!" Crow said. "We never said we were from space! We're from—"

Yusei covered his friend's mouth. "Uh, out of town, ma'am. Sorry. You see, my friend here's looking for a space port because he's always wanted to be an astronaut." He looked at Jack.

"What!?" Jack exclaimed indignantly.

"Shh," Yusei hissed. "Just go with it, okay?"

Manjoume crossed his arms and, heavy on the sarcasm, asked, "Oh, is _that_ all? Then mind explaining to me how you showed up out of nowhere in a beam of light?"

Asuka didn't hear that—she had scanned the strangers, her eyes sticking on one: the brunette. Now she was staring at him, stunned.

Winged Kuriboh didn't like this. _"Kurii...," _it said, which translated as "not good."

Judai was staring at Asuka as well. He couldn't seem to stop, either. Taking his eyes off her for even a moment seemed an impossibility at the time.

"Who...who are you...?" Asuka asked finally.

He just stared, not sure he could take this. _Why did I agree to this insanity in the first place!?_

"See what I mean? He's entrancing, isn't he?" Manjoume said, staring at him some more.

With both of them staring at him like that, Judai knew he couldn't handle it. He backed up a step.

"...Stop looking at me... Both of you, stop looking at me!"

Asuka blinked. "Oh. I'm sorry! It's just...have we met before? Because I feel like I should know you..." Silently, she added, _Really well, actually... What _is_ this feeling?_

"You don't know me, we've never met, drop it," Judai said quickly.

Manjoume humphed. "Well, that's rude. And why is it, when I look at you, I start thinking of Ojamas?" Silently, he added, _Yuck! And I want some, too! What's _wrong_ with me!?_

"...Ojamas..." Judai shook his head to clear it, then said, "Don't ask me! How should I know!?"

Winged Kuriboh had a bad feeling, a guess as to what was going on here, but he decided to keep it to himself.

Yusei, seeing Judai's suffering, drew attention away from him by asking, "Uh, anyway, about my friend Jack's dream?"

"Uh, right!" Asuka said, attention snapping to Yusei. "He wanted to be an astronaut, right?" She sweat.

"You got it, li'l lady!" Crow said. "The name's Crow, by the way." He grinned and winked at her playfully.

Asuka blushed. "Uh, okay. Well, if I were you, I'd ask the Kaibas. They're the richest family in town and should be able to help."

"Oh, that's right!" Aki said. "Mr. Kaiba and Mokuba. They own KaibaCorp, don't they?"

"That's right," Asuka said. "And they're the founders of all the Duel Academies across the globe, too. I'm going there at the end of the summer."

"Heh. As am I. I'm gonna become the next King of Games," Manjoume said with a smirk, pointing at himself proudly.

Crow smacked his forehead. "KaibaCorp! Duh! Of course, they'd have one! Why didn't we think of that sooner? Thanks a lot, miss! Later!"

He started walking off, and the others followed.

"Wait!" Asuka called. "You! The guy wearing the Osiris jacket! Just who are you!? Where'd you get that, and why on Earth do I know you!?" To herself, she amended, _Know him!? I feel like I should love him! But we _just_ met!_

Judai stopped, standing there for a moment in silence, his back to her. Finally, he said, "I'm nobody. I got this a long time ago, so I can't say where, and you don't know me."

"But—"

"Yeah?" Manjoume interjected. "Then why do I have a strange need to call you 'idiot?'" Arms crossed and head lowered slightly, he mumbled, "Although, granted, you're all pretty crazy."

"I don't know!" Judai snapped, unable to take much more. "Maybe you're just weird, ever think of that? I mean, I've never seen you two before in my life."

_Stop interrogating me,_ he thought desperately. _Please, stop asking questions. Just let me go!_

"Hey! Who are you calling 'weird,' you idiot!?" Manjoume demanded. "_We're_ not the ones appearing out of _nowhere_ and demanding a spaceship!"

"What's your problem?" Asuka asked, glaring at him. "You're a real jerk, you know? I just wanted some answers, that's all! No need to bite my head off!"

A little further away, Aki whispered, "Hey, Yusei, what's going on here? They're acting like they know him, but didn't he say they hadn't met yet?"

"I don't know," Yusei whispered back. "Maybe there's some space/time rule we just don't understand."

Judai teared up again. He could handle Manjoume yelling at him, but Asuka...

"...I'm sorry...," he said quietly.

"Sheesh. Now he's crying," Manjoume said, gesturing to him. "What a weirdo."

Asuka stared at him, not sure why those tears in his eyes caused her pain.

Judai stood there another moment, staring at the ground, his eyes burning with tears. "I can't do this... Damn it, Yusei, how'd I let you talk me into this!?" He glared at the man in question.

Yusei didn't answer, but he didn't like the look on Judai's face. He hadn't meant to hurt him; he had only wanted to help.

"Okay, scratch that," Manjoume said. "You're not an idiot or a weirdo, you're just nuts."

"Manjoume!" Asuka glared at him.

"What? He _is_! Look at him!"

"He seems upset to me, actually." She looked at him, wondering, _Why does that hurt so much? I feel like I should help him somehow..._

She stepped forward, unnoticed by Judai, who was still glaring daggers at Yusei. Putting a hand on his shoulder, she said, "Hey, it's okay."

Judai jumped, then looked at her.

"Oh!" she said, pulling back. "I'm sorry! Did I scare you?"

It took him a moment to form the words to say, "No. I just...wasn't expecting you to..."

_"__Oh, great,"_ Yubel said. _"You okay, kid?"_

Asuka tilted her head to the side slightly. "Hm? What's wrong? You've been upset ever since you first saw me. Do I remind you of someone?" she asked gently.

_She's comforting a lunatic. _Manjoume rolled his eyes in disgust. "Oh, brother. I don't have time for this. See ya around, Tenjoin-kun," he said, walking off.

"...Yeah... You could say that...," Judai answered her.

"So, what happened? Obviously it wasn't good."

"She...died."

"Oh! I'm sorry. So, I look sort of like her in your eyes, then?" She thought, _Okay, now I'm scared. First I feel like I should love him, then his pain hurts me, _now_ I feel like I'm dead! But I'm alive! Aren't I...?_

Sounding nervous, she asked, "Um, this girl... What was her name? And I _am_ still on Earth in Domino City, right...?"

"Yeah, you are," Judai answered. "Her name..." His voice cracked on the last word.

"Uh, Yus?" Crow said. "Is that really a good idea? I mean..."

Yusei stepped forward. "Alexis," he said.

Asuka turned to him, confused.

"Her name was Alexis," he clarified. He looked to Judai for confirmation.

Judai was silent another moment, trying to regain some of his composure. "Yeah," he said finally. "Alexis."

Asuka looked back at the older boy. "I'm sorry..."

True as that was, she couldn't help but be somewhat relieved. For a moment there, she had felt as if _she_ were dead.

Judai didn't respond—he just stared at the ground.

"Anyway, Judai," Yusei said, "we should head for KaibaCorp now."

Judai nodded slowly. "Yeah..."

_Why? Why do I want to help them so much? Aren't they just looking for a way to get that one guy into space?_ Making up her mind, she asked, "Wait, can I come, too?"

"What?" Judai asked, startled.

"Can I come?"

Yusei looked at Judai, leaving it up to him.

Judai stared at his old friend, his old flame, for a moment before asking, "Why?"

"I...I don't know," she admitted. "I just want to help, that's all..."

He hesitated another moment. Finally, he said, "I guess..."

_"__Uh, Judai?"_ Yubel said. _"Is that really a good idea? I mean, that's..."_

"Great. I'm Asuka Tenjoin, by the way."

"I'm...Jaden," Judai said, not willing to share his real name. Hopefully she hadn't heard anyone saying it earlier.

_"__Judai!"_ Yubel protested.

"Nice to meet you, Jaden," Asuka said. "So, who are your friends?"

Yusei answered before Judai could. "I'm Yusei. Yusei Fudo, and those guys are Aki Izayoi, Jack Atlas, and Crow Hogan." He gestured to each in turn.

"Hi," Aki said.

"What's up?" Crow greeted.

Jack humphed.

"Nice to meet you all. So, are we ready, then?" Looking at Jack, she thought, _Funny, he kinda reminds me of Manjoume._

_'__Last chance, 'Jaden!' Get rid of her before she hurts you again."_

_"__Kurii kurii!"_ Winged Kuriboh agreed.

Judai hesitated slightly before saying, "Let's go."

_"__Judai!"_ Muttering, Yubel said, _"Arg. He's _such_ a glutton for punishment, isn't he?"_

* * *

From above, the green-eyed spirit watched anxiously. _"Oh, boy. They're off to a rough start. Think they'll be okay, pal?"_

The other shrugged, thinking of the fact that they had just gotten Asuka involved in all of this.

_"__Yeah, I know," _the green-eyed spirit said. _"Here's hoping he knows what he's doing."_


	6. An Ancient Grudge Aimed at the Wrong One

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX or 5D's.**

* * *

All they wanted to do was ask Kaiba for help getting to space. What was so wrong about that?

"Sorry, only authorized personnel can get in to see Mr. Kaiba," a black-haired man in a dark suit and dark glasses told Yusei and his friends.

"Please, sir," Aki told him. "You don't understand. See, we're here on important business. You've just gotta let us in!"

"No entry without an appointment! Now get out before I call security!"

The gang headed out, knowing it was pointless to argue.

"Well, that guy was rather pleasant, don't you think?" Jack sarcastically remarked.

Judai looked dejected. "Well, I kinda figured _that_ would happen... Man! What are we thinking!? We can't do this!"

Add that to the list of things Yusei wanted to exterminate in his friend—pessimism. Judai wasn't supposed to be this much of a pessimist.

"Calm down, Jaden," he told him, using his alias because of Asuka. "We just need a new plan, that's all."

"Hmm." Aki said, "If only we had some sort of connection. Then they'd _have_ to let us in, right?"

"A connection, you say?" Asuka said. "I might know someone, then."

Yubel didn't like the sound of that. _"Please tell me she doesn't mean..."_

"Who?" Judai asked, thinking along the same lines as Yubel.

Asuka sighed. "There's only one family I know of that could get us in there. But I really don't want to see him again today. Are you sure your only reason for doing this is to let that guy ride in a rocket ship? 'Cause, if it is, then I'm not getting involved anymore."

Judai stared at her. _How did I know she was gonna say something like that? Maybe it's a good thing our excuse is stupid..._ He shrugged and said, "Sorry, Jack. Guess you won't be going to space after all."

Yusei wasn't about to let it end here. They hadn't even tried yet. "Well, actually," he said, "have you ever heard of a KaibaCorp experiment using cards and space waves to do...something?"

"What?" Asuka asked.

Judai eyed Yusei warily. "Yusei, what are you doing...?"

"Because I heard a kid got to send a card into space years ago, and I was wondering what happened to it," Yusei went on.

Asuka stared at him, not sure how to answer that.

Aki added, "Also, I'm a psychic, and I foresaw that there might have been more than one. But one was sent by accident and may be in danger?"

Asuka turned her blank stare on her. Judai shifted, nervous.

_They're not seriously..._

Getting in on it, Crow asked, "Okay, little missie, do you believe in magic?"

"Magic?" she asked.

Judai didn't like this. At all. "Guys..."

"Heh. Bet that surprised ya!" Crow said. "Yeah! Magic's real, and so are card spirits! We think one's in danger, and we want to go help it! Do you know how revenge-driven a card spirit can get if it's abandoned? Well, just imagine how bad it would be if it was abandoned in space! Why, if we don't save it soon..."

Figuring he might as well get involved—preferably before Crow tried to tell her the whole truth—Judai crossed his arms and said, "The world's gonna end. And life's gonna be hell for somebody. Let's put it that way."

Asuka stared at him for a moment, too stunned to speak. "W-what...?" she finally asked. _Now I _really_ think I know him! _And _I feel like I know who he's talking about, too! What's going on!? How can this be!?_

_Life...and eternity,_ Judai thought bitterly. _I _knew_ this was a bad idea... Now we're gonna drag Manjoume into this... Wonder how this will affect my future?_

Asuka kept staring at him. "Who..._are_...you...?"

"I already told you," he answered harshly.

Asuka blinked. Her pupils contracted as she said, "You sure? 'Cause now _I'm_ not!"

"Anyway, Asuka," Yusei asked, "will you help us out before that happens?"

"...O-okay! Sure! Whatever! I'll just...go get Manjoume, then..." She started off to find Manjoume, thinking, _I _have_ to help him! Something is telling me that this will do it, but what _is_ this, anyway!? And who is he!? Why do I feel so attached to him, anyway!?_

Everyone was quiet until Asuka was out of earshot. Then Judai said, "I can't do this... Having one of them along is already worse than I thought it would be..."

_"__Then just tell them to go away!"_ Yubel advised. _"After we get _his_ help, of course..."_

"...I can't..." Silently, he added, _It would be like losing them all over again..._

"Hey, Judai?" Aki said. "You going to be okay?"

He paused before saying, "I think so."

Winged Kuriboh appeared, kuriing. The translation: _"Liar. Having them around is only hurting you more! So losing them—"_

"Stop it!" Judai cried, covering his ears.

Wrong words. _"Kurii...," _the furball apologized.

"Don't worry, Judai," Yusei said. "We'll fix this soon enough."

"Don't promise me that," he answered sadly. "You don't know."

_"__I do...,"_ Yubel whispered.

* * *

Moments later, Asuka returned with Manjoume. From the look on his face, she'd said something somewhat rude to get him to show up here, accusing one of them of saying it.

"Okay! Which one of you weirdos said they could beat me in their sleep?" he demanded. Yep, just as Judai had thought.

"Probably me...," he muttered. _Right now, anyway._

"'Cause, let me tell you, you _don't_ want to pick a fight with me," Manjoume said, an arrogant smirk on his face. "Just 'cause you're from space doesn't mean you stand a chance against my skill. I'm the best duelist my old school had, and the favorite to become the next King of Games, so I think I could beat all of you. With one hand tied behind my back, too."

"Why, you little...! I could beat you blindfolded, standing on my head!" Jack insisted.

"What'd you say!?"

"You heard me! In one turn, too!"

The two growled at each other.

"Back off, Jack," Yusei said. "This isn't the time to be picking fights with the guy."

"He's right!" Crow agreed. "We need to ask him a favor, not make him mad!"

"A favor?" Manjoume asked.

"Actually, that's the real reason I brought you here, Manjoume," Asuka confessed. "We need some help getting in to see Kaiba."

"So, let me get this straight," he said. "You're still helping these weirdos get back home, and now you're trying to drag me into it? And what's in it for me if I help you?"

Asuka hesitated. "Well..."

Manjoume just waited. Judai turned away—he'd seen more than enough of the two of them together. It was worse than either one alone. Every time he looked at them, he saw their son, Rick Manjoume. His father's hair, mother's eyes, mother's brains, and father's bad attitude.

"Look, I'll think of something later. Just, please, help us out," Asuka said. "Your family goes in there to pester Mr. Kaiba about something all the time."

"Sorry, no deal," Manjoume said, eyes closed. "I'm not getting involved with this band of lunatics."

Asuka stood there, silent, trying to think of a way to coax him into helping them.

She never got the chance.

"Yeah, I figured as much...," Judai said, his head turned away. _This _is_ the old Manjoume we're talking about, after all..._ He looked at Manjoume, anger burning in his eyes, and added, "It's always all about you, isn't it?"

Manjoume looked at him for a moment, a funny feeling in his gut. "What?"

"You only care about yourself," Judai went on, his anger and bitterness growing. "If you don't stand to gain anything, you don't want to get involved. Sheesh, Manjoume, no wonder you don't have any friends."

"And who said I wanted any!? All I need is fame and power, and I've already got that!"

Asuka stared at the distraught boy. "Jaden..."

"Yeah, you've got that," Judai went on, not caring if he was being a jerk. All he could think of right then was how Manjoume was going to marry Asuka someday, and it almost seemed to him at the time that Manjoume knew it. As if he were staying out of this to make sure Judai didn't have a chance with her. "Good to know you're happy, Manjoume. After all, that's all that matters, isn't it?"

"Jaden?" Asuka asked. "Are you okay?"

Manjoume stared at the boy before him. _Why!? Why is that so upsetting!? Why do I feel like _that_ should never have come out of _his_ mouth!? I don't even know him! And yet, I do..._

He figured there was no harm in asking what was on his mind—it couldn't hurt, after all. "So, are you usually like this?"

Judai looked away. That answered Asuka's question.

"Jaden..."

"What the hell's your problem!? Do you _always_ act like this!?" Manjoume demanded. _Where have I seen this before!? And why on _Earth_ do I hate it so much!?_

Judai still wasn't looking at him when he answered. "...Only when you're around..."

"Why!? We just met, didn't we!? Or are you just nuts, because I'm beginning to wonder..."

Slight pause. Then, "Isn't there some guy you think's weaker than you that you can bug? Because I'm sick of your face," Judai said, his gaze still averted.

Manjoume grabbed him by the shirt collar, pulling him closer. "Oh, you are, are you!? Then why not take a closer look!? And tell me who you are and why I can't stand your attitude!?"

"Hey!" Asuka protested. "Let him go, Manjoume! Can't you see he's upset!?"

"Yeah, I know," he answered. "And it's bugging the crap out of me, for some dumb reason!"

Asuka stared for a moment, stunned. "I know...," she muttered at last.

Still not looking at him, gripped by the collar or not, Judai said, "There's never going to be a day that I don't 'bug the crap out of you,' is there? Even when you stand to gain everything..."

He thought about that stupid wedding, that awful day. Why had he gone in the first place? Because he... He wouldn't think about it.

"What does _that_ mean, you idiot!? That made no sense at all!"

"That's enough," Yusei said, trying to diffuse the situation somehow. "Drop him already. He's already upset, and you're not helping."

"I already know that!" Manjoume bellowed. "And it's driving me crazy! Who are you!?"

Judai didn't say a word. Manjoume shook him roughly.

"Speak up! I asked you a question! Now tell me who you are, or else!"

"Manjoume!" Asuka exclaimed.

Crow and Jack pulled him off of Judai, who backed up slightly.

"Okay, pal!" Crow said. "That's quite enough of that! He doesn't have to tell you anything, so just leave him alone already!"

Head still lowered, Judai said, in a voice that was barely more than a whisper, "...As big a jerk as ever, I see..."

"Jay?" Asuka asked. "You okay?"

"No... I can't do this..."

"Do what!?" Manjoume demanded, trying to break free of Jack and Crow and get at Judai again. "Damn it! Why are you acting so weird!? Answer me already!"

Judai just backed away a few steps, his head still low.

"Hey. It's okay," Asuka said, trying to comfort him. "He's always like this. Don't worry about it. He's just a big jerk, that's all."

"Besides, we only need a spaceship," Aki said. "We'll make him leave after we talk him into it."

"He's not going to help, Aki. And, Asuka, I already know he's a big jerk. Why do you think I can't stand to see his face!? Because I _like_ him or something!?"

Aki looked sad. "Jaden..."

Asuka growled. "Hear that, Manjoume!? Now look what you've done! I'm getting the feeling that _he's_ the one who _really_ wants to go to space! I've also got a feeling it's important and we should care a bit more! You feel it, too, right!? Like you also know him and should be helping him, not upsetting him more?"

"I feel no such thing!" he yelled. However, his thoughts went against this. _WHY!? WHY CAN'T _I _STOP CARING ABOUT HIM!? WHO THE FUCK IS THAT GUY!?_

Judai was silent a moment before saying, "I don't want to go to space... I just wanna die already..."

"What!?" Asuka demanded.

Manjoume stopped struggling and stared, horrified for reasons he couldn't figure out. Once they were sure he wasn't going to attack Judai again, Jack and Crow let go of him. Judai just kept staring at the ground, depressed.

"It's okay, Jaden," Aki said. "We'll find a way to help you."

Manjoume's attention snapped to her. "Say what!? You're gonna help him commit suicide!?" he demanded, taking Aki's words the wrong way. "Why!?"

"Come on, Jaden," Asuka said. "Think of what you have! Is your life really that bad? Do you—"

"Life...?" he interrupted, lifting his head slightly. "Mine's overstayed its welcome. It's about time it just ended already..."

"Come on. That can't be true. Don't you have anything you'll regret? A loving family? What about all your friends? Wouldn't they be sad if—"

Trembling, he cut her off again. "They're all dead, now shut up!"

Asuka stared at him questioningly.

"Uh, okay," Manjoume said, a lame look on his face. "Then who do you suppose these guys you're with are, then? Your sworn enemies?" He humphed, then muttered, "What a weirdo."

Yusei stared at Judai. He hated seeing his friend in so much pain, but there wasn't anything he could do about it if he couldn't get that card.

There was another pause before Judai said, "I shouldn't even be hanging out with them... I know it's just gonna happen again... Why am I such an idiot?"

"What's gonna happen?" Asuka asked gently.

Judai shook his head—he didn't want to think about it.

_"__It's okay, Judai,"_ Yubel said. _"We can fix this once you're all in space, okay?"_

_We're not gonna get there, Yubel!_

"Okay, seriously," Manjoume said. "Quit it. Your continued bad mood's bring _me_ down." Muttering, he added, "And, trust me, that ain't easy to do. Who _is_ this guy?" He looked straight at Judai, wondering, _And why am I feeling his pain as if I actually care? This is so weird._

"Oh, just shut up!" Judai snapped, glaring at him. "Honestly, I'd forgotten how big of a pain _that_ attitude can be! Suddenly, I don't—"

"Jaden," Yusei cut him off before he could say anything revealing. "It's okay. Try to calm down. We'll find another rocket. There are plenty of places we still haven't tried, so let's try them first, okay?"

Judai looked at him, his eyes brimming with tears.

_"__Oh, not again," _the spirit said from above. _"I wish he'd quit doing that to himself. Whatever happened to all the faith and hope he used to have?"_

His friend shrugged, figuring that Judai had lost it long ago due to everything that's happened to him. It couldn't have been helped.

_"__Yeah. You're probably right, pal," _the spirit admitted. _"But you'd think this event would perk him up a little, at least." _Looking back at the people below, he asked, _"Wait, what's Manjoume up to?"_ He looked closely.

Manjoume looked somewhat upset. He watched Judai for a moment before saying, "Okay, fine. I'll help. Just quit it already."

Tears still threatening, Judai looked at Manjoume.

That increased his resolve to help, though he wasn't sure why. "I'll see about getting you guys inside," he said. "But, first, I'd at least like to hear your name, you idiot. Or is that what you prefer?"

If Asuka wasn't so stunned by his sudden change of attitude, she would have hit him.

"Jaden," Judai answered. "Though 'you idiot' works, too..."

Manjoume had always called him an idiot. Strangely enough, he kind of missed it now, along with Cronos calling him Drop-out Boy.

"Okay, whatever," Manjoume said. "Just give me five minutes to get you an appointment..." As he headed inside, he thought, _What an idiot. Who _wants_ to be called that?_

Asuka watched him go, still stunned. Finally, in a tiny voice, she asked, "What...?"

"Yeah. He's just full of surprises, huh?" Judai said, the tears pushed away for the moment. _I'm glad Jim isn't here... That eye of his would make things really awkward..._

_"__You know, Judai. You have _got_ to stop doing that to yourself!" _Yubel snapped, jolting him from his thoughts about the Aussie and his crocodile. _"Thinking about what you've lost only brings you down. Try and forget about them for now and focus on your goal."_

Judai had heard that speech plenty of times, though the goal used to be running into Yusei in the future.

_Easier said than done with Asuka standing right beside me, Yubel...,_ he told her.

_"__Then pretend you've got amnesia."_

Judai didn't answer—he would have tried that if he wasn't so sure that it wouldn't work.

"Anyway, Jaden, you okay?" Asuka asked gently. "Why were you crying earlier? Is there something I should know about?"

He hesitated, thinking of just how much he should tell her, if anything. He settled on, "Everyone I care for is dead, except for these guys, and I only really know Yusei. That's about all you need to know." Muttering, he added, "Story of my life, after all..."

Asuka looked at him sympathetically. "Jaden..."


	7. Two More People He Doesn't Want to See

**A/N: Well, here's the next chapter. Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX or Yugioh 5D's.**

* * *

Manjoume came back over looking annoyed, saying, "Okay, I managed to get you guys an appointment for tomorrow at noon. Happy now?"

"Why did you do that, Manjoume?" Asuka asked.

"I. Don't. Know," Manjoume said, clearly annoyed. "For some reason, I just couldn't stand to see that idiot over there crying, that's all."

Judai stared at Manjoume for a moment. _Yeah, definitely a good thing Jim's in Australia._

_"__What did I say about thinking about him!?" _Yubel chided. _"Quit it before you make yourself cry again!"_

"Well, anyway, thanks for the help," Yusei said.

Manjoume humphed.

"So, now what?" Crow asked. "We just rent a hotel and wait? Does anyone have any modern currency to do that with?"

"Wait, what?" Asuka asked.

Manjoume stared at him.

"Crow's nuts. Don't worry about him," Judai said. Confidentially, he whispered, "He thinks he's from the future."

"That may be true, but he does have a point," Yusei said. "We're broke, guys. Any ideas on how we could get some cash?"

Manjoume rolled his eyes and left before they could ask him for money.

"Don't look at me," Jack said. "The people back home don't even know what I'm worth. I highly doubt anyone around here would."

"I could try my hand at street performing, if nothing else," Aki said unenthusiastically.

With an arrogant grin, Yubel said, _"Judai, haven't we done this before? Why not show them how it's done."_

"Leave it to me," Judai told them, walking off.

The spirit laughed a little. _"And those guys are worried? Obviously they don't know Judai. Or should I say, 'The Red-Clad Hero.' Wait til they see what he can do."_

* * *

Judai came back soon after, a bundle of money in his hand. Seeing the money, Yusei headed over to a nearby phone booth and started flipping through the phone book.

"Wow," Aki said. "That was fast. How'd you get that?"

"When you've been living on the streets as long as I have, you learn how to get what you need," he answered.

"Good answer," Crow said with a grin, giving him a thumbs up.

Aki looked a little nervous. "Uh, Judai..."

"I didn't steal it, if that's what you're thinking," he said, looking at her.

"If you say so..."

"Alright," Jack said. "Now all we need is to find a hotel that we can all get into."

Crow looked at Yusei. "Any luck, pal?"

"Hmm..." He flipped another page and said, "There's one on the other side of the park, according to this..."

"Then let's go," Judai said, turning toward the park.

The future kids started to walk off.

"So, wait," Asuka said, stopping them in their tracks. "Are you guys _going_ to space tomorrow? 'Cause I may not be able to come..."

"It's fine if you can't," Judai said. "Probably better if you don't, actually..."

"Is it because I look like Alexis?"

He didn't answer right away. Asuka looked at him questioningly.

Finally, he said, "Yeah."

"Jaden..."

She was about to comfort him when an older boy stepped out of a nearby alley. He had teal hair and eyes to match. He also had a rather stone-like expression on his face, just like Judai remembered him.

"Ah," he said. "There you are, Asuka."

"Oh, hi, Ryo," she said.

Judai tensed. _Fuck..._

Out of all the people he could run into back here, that guy was in his Top Five List of People Not to See, along with Asuka and Manjoume. After all, there was a chance he'd see _that guy_ if he saw Ryo.

"So, is this why you haven't stopped by yet?" Ryo asked her. "I was beginning to worry about you. You said you wanted to speak to me, after all."

Crow looked about ready to do something Judai would regret. "Hey, guys," he said to the others, "isn't that the legendary Kaiser? Oh, man! Are _we_ lucky!" He started toward him, calling, "Hey, dude! How's it hanging!?"

Ryo turned, and his eyes wandered over to Judai. Like all those before, he stared.

"Crow! Why don't you just stop talking!?" Judai snapped—he wanted Ryo's attention about as much as he had wanted Yusei's earlier. "Let's go," he said firmly.

"Huh?" Crow looked at him and asked, "What'd I say?"

Asuka looked at him, shocked by this sudden change of attitude. "Jaden...?"

Ryo stared at him another moment before raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Let's go," Judai repeated.

"I'm sorry, but...do I know you?" Ryo asked.

"No. You don't," he answered firmly. "Come on, Crow, let's go."

Ryo looked at him questioningly.

"Jaden?" Asuka asked. "You okay? That's the third time you've—"

"I'm fine. I just... Look, just stop asking me if I'm okay, okay?"

"T-there you are, Nii-san...," a voice said from the alley. "I-I've got something important to tell you..."

Above, the spirit started freaking out._ "Crap! Not him! I can't look. This couldn't get any worse!"_ He amended,_ "Well, it could, but they'd have to go to Norway for that. Let's just hope _that_ doesn't happen."_

His friend nodded, sweating, and the two turned back into lights and hid in Jack's bag again, not wanting to see the outcome of this.

Ryo and Asuka turned toward the speaker. Judai tensed and ducked behind Yusei.

A short boy with blue hair and gray eyes appeared. He had glasses on his face, and he wore a blue jacket and pants, a local middle school uniform. He looked pretty nervous as he said to his brother, "C-can we talk in private?"

Aki gasped. "T-that's—!"

"One minute, Sho," Ryo said. "There's something I need to—" He cut himself off as he turned back to where Judai had been standing to find him missing. He sweat. "...Find out. Okay. Where did he go?"

"Where'd who go?" Sho asked.

Aki whispered to Yusei, Jack, and Crow, "That kid looks a lot like a spirit I saw hanging around Judai once. His 'best friend,' he called it?"

Out of shock, Crow exclaimed. "S-so that's the guy who was haunting our house earlier!? The name fits, anyway!"

It was taking every ounce of willpower Judai had not to leap out from behind Yusei and strangle that loudmouth right then.

"HAUNTING!?" Sho exclaimed. "W-what do you mean!? A-am I dead!?"

He looked ready to have a panic attack, so Asuka tried to calm him. "No. No, Sho, you're not dead! He just—what _are_ you doing? _Are_ you guys from the future?"

"What?" Ryo asked.

"Oh, man! Th-then, if that's true, then what caused it!?" Sho wondered, having not heard a word Asuka had said. _Did a car hit me when I was hurrying to school late that one day? I know I wasn't watching the roads very closely! Maybe Gorisuke decided my lunch money wasn't good enough and he'd take my life as payment instead, so he beat me to death! Or I could have gotten amnesia, got lost in the rain and cold, and caught pneumonia and died!_

"And when did it happen!?" he went on aloud. "How come I'm just now realizing it!? So much for my dreams of becoming a duelist! It's never gonna happen now!"

Judai still hid behind Yusei, stunned. _He's an idiot...,_ he thought, though whether it was about Crow or Sho, even he couldn't tell you.

"Sho! Sho! Calm down!" Asuka said. "You're not dead! If you were, we'd all be dead!"

That didn't help any. "Oh, no! _You're_ dead, too!?" Sho exclaimed. "Even my Nii-san... How did this happen to us!?"

The look on Ryo's face said he was tired of this sort of thing—apparently it was a pretty common occurrence. "Sho..."

_Ugh... I'm gonna have to do something, aren't I...?_ Judai thought.

"Sho," Ryo said. "We're not dead. Quit it."

"But he just said—!"

"He's crazy," Judai said, stepping out from behind Yusei. "Ignore him."

"But—!" Sho started, turning to Judai. He cut himself off and stared. After a moment, his eyes widened in shock and confusion.

"No buts," Judai said. "He's crazy, so don't listen to anything he has to say, alright, kid?"

Sho just kept staring at him for a long while. Finally, he stammered, "Y-y-you're..."

"Nobody you know, that's who," Judai finished. "Didn't you have something to tell your brother?"

Sho looked at him questioningly, clearly stunned and confused. "WHO ARE YOU!?"

_So, it's not just me?_ Ryo thought.

Judai didn't think he could take any more of this. If one more person asked him that, he felt he'd snap. And it always had to be the worst ones. Now he was only missing one person from his Top Five.

"You didn't answer!" Sho said. "But I already know! But I don't! But—Aniki!? Where'd _that_ come from!? What's going on here!? _Who_ are you!?"

Ryo sweat. _Here we go again..._

_Even Sho knows?_ Asuka thought. _Who is this guy?_

Judai backed up a step. "You don't know me. Stop it."

"But I _do_ know you! But I don't! But—AAAAHHH! WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME!?" He started ripping his hair out.

"Sho! Calm down!" Ryo said, reaching for his shoulders. "It's okay!"

Sho jerked away, yelling, "NO, IT'S NOT! I'M LOSING MY MIND!"

Judai hated seeing Sho like this—heck, at that moment, he hated seeing Sho at all. The only way to calm him down would be to tell him the truth and hope he believed it, but Judai didn't really want to go into that again, especially since he'd be meeting these guys in only a few more months. He teared up, unsure what to do.

Asuka and Ryo kept trying to calm Sho, to no avail. Yusei's group was just staring, stunned speechless.

"NO! IT'S NOT A MOON OF THE POOF! I'M ABOUT TO JUMP OFF AUNT HONEY'S CIRCUS ORANGE!" Sho yelled a bunch of random nonsense, as if he were really going crazy. Heck, Judai thought, maybe he was...

"Damn it... SHO!" He ran over and knelt down in front of the boy, gripping his shoulders firmly. "Sho, calm down, there's a perfectly logical explanation for all of this."

"You! Me! WHY!? NOTHING MAKES SENSE ANYMORE!"

_Maybe I should call the hospital,_ Ryo thought.

"Yes, it does!" Judai said. "Okay? Look, we're from the future. Okay? Just calm down. If you calm down, maybe I can try to explain this, okay?"

"So, you _are_ from the future!?" Asuka asked. "Then does that mean—"

She cut herself off, not sure what that could mean, though she had a sneaking suspicion that they knew each other.

"Aw, who cares!?" Sho said, still going nuts. "Future, past, they're all the same! If the memories are still there, they'll _always_ be there! Time's only an illusion, after all!"

Ryo sweat. "Sho... You got that from Avatar..."

Judai's eyes slowly widened as he thought about Sho's words. "But it makes sense..."

Winged Kuriboh sweat. _"Kuri..."_

From the little guy's reaction, Judai guessed that he had known this all along—that seeing Judai would affect his old friends, even if they hadn't met yet. Like Sho had just (insanely) said, time is only an illusion.

"Geez, Aibou, ya could have said something sooner...," Judai muttered to the hairball. "Sho!" He shook him a bit. "It's not you, it's me! The only one going crazy here is me! Take a chill pill!"

Sho stopped freaking out and was quiet. "Huh?" he asked after a moment.

"_I'm_ the crazy one," Judai repeated. "It's my fault that you think you're going nuts. I shouldn't even be here..."

"And why's that...?" Asuka asked, not sure what else to say.

Judai hesitated for a moment before standing up and saying, "Heck, you guys knowing me is already probably too much... What the hell? Screw the space/time continuum. We aren't supposed to meet for another few months, but my friends here—" He hitched a thumb at Yusei and company. "—thought it would be a real hoot to drag me back in time and screw around with things."

"Uh, Jaden?" Yusei said, not sure telling them was a good idea.

"...What...?" Asuka asked.

Sho looked more stunned.

"Yeah. I'm not giving you any details on that, though. You'll find out soon enough."

Asuka stared for a moment. "How far into the future are you guys from...?" she asked finally.

"Yeah! 'Cause that's not adding up! Did I die at a young age or something!?" Sho asked, worried.

"No," Judai answered. "It's...complicated. And that's all I'm saying."

Sho's shoulders slumped. "So, that's a yes, then... Great..."

"It'll be okay, Sho. I'm sure that's not it," Asuka said.

"You didn't die young," Judai said, closing his eyes and crossing his arms. "You got married, had kids, lived a great life, and died an old man."

"Then—you're—what?" Sho asked, too confused to form a coherent sentence.

"But didn't you just say we'd meet soon?" Asuka asked. "Then how come you guys know Sho? As a ghost, that is?"

Judai opened his eyes, looking close to tears.

"Hey. You okay? What'd we say?" Sho asked.

As the tears started to fall, Judai looked away, trying to hide them. Sho leaned toward his gaze.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, cocking his head. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Jaden..."

"J-just leave me alone already... I think I've been saying that for awhile now..."

"Aniki..."

Sho paused after saying that word, a lame and confused look appearing on his face as he tried to figure out why he'd called him that.

It had been so long since any living soul had called him that. The tears were coming even worse with that simple word. That simple word brought back so many memories, good and bad—the day Sho gave him that title, Sho hiding in a trash can, Sho the car, Duel Zombie Sho demanding he duel him...and that day... No. He wouldn't think about _that_, either.

Yusei put a hand on Judai's shoulder. "It's okay..."

"Stop lying..."

Asuka looked at him, hating the pain in his voice. "Jaden..."

"Crow just went and opened his big mouth in front of Sho, and now I'm standing here talking to the guy," Judai said. "How is this okay...? The only way it could be worse would be if Johan showed up!"

The spirit peeked out of Jack's luggage. _"Yeah, no kidding... Dang it! Why do those guys have to be so curious? Maybe I should step in after all..."_

Crow rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, pal..."

"Why...?" Judai asked, his head lowered so that his eyes were hidden in shadows. "Why can't you just stop talking to people? You're in _my_ time. You never know who I might know...or what sort of impact you could have on your own time..."

"Hey. It's okay," Asuka said. "I'll stop asking about it, okay? In fact, let's pretend it never happened and start over. Hi. I'm Asuka. And you are?"

Judai just stared at her.

"My name's Sho. Sho Marufuji. Pleased to meet you, stranger!"

Ryo stared at them for a moment. "Okay...," he said at last before walking off.

As Judai stood there silent, he debated whether he should give his alias again or his real name. Seeing as he had just told them the truth, it didn't seem like too bad of an idea.

_"__Just get rid of them before you start crying again!"_ Yubel said. _"I thought you weren't that big a glutton for punishment?" _Muttering, she added, _"I mean, you said so earlier."_

Judai stared at the ground. "I never learn, do I...?" he said quietly.

_"__That's why you've got me. Listen to me, and you won't hurt as much."_

Those were the magic words. "Just go away...," Judai said to Asuka and Sho. "Both of you..."

"W-what? But why?" Sho asked, whining.

"Jaden," Asuka said, her tone a bit whiny, too.

Judai closed his eyes. "It hurts less...when you're not here... I think..."

"What hurts less? Come on, Aniki."

While Sho may not have known why he kept calling Judai that, it felt wrong to call him anything else, so he was just gonna go with it.

Judai's attention snapped to the gray-eyed boy. "Don't call me that!"

"But—" Sho started.

"I can't take it anymore!" Judai yelled. "Why is this happening to me!?"

"Jaden," Yusei said. "Try to calm down. Just remember why we're here."

"So it _does_ have to do with him!" Asuka said.

Yusei didn't answer, but the look on his face said more than enough.

"In that case, my parents are about to lose another kid for awhile," Asuka said. "I'm going with you guys tomorrow!"

"And where's that?" Sho asked.

Yusei looked at Judai in concern.

Asuka turned to Sho. "I'm not entirely sure why, but..."

She proceeded to explain what she knew of the situation. Judai just stood there, staring at the ground.

"In that case, count me in, too!" Sho said after Asuka had finished. "I can't stand to see this guy so upset! Aniki or not, I'm gonna help him!"

Judai just kept staring at the ground.

"Jaden?" Yusei asked finally. "You gonna be okay, pal?"

The brunette shook his head. "No... I'm done lying. No, I'm _not_ gonna be okay..."

"You will!" Sho said. "Just as soon as we—"

"Find that card that I stupidly sent into space when I was a kid...," Judai cut him off, his voice quiet.

"So you're the winner of that thing?" Asuka asked.

"But...weren't you supposed to send it up there?" Sho asked.

Judai answered, "A card I made. But I asked them to send up one that I owned, and that's gonna cause some serious problems for everyone soon if I don't do something..."

"What!?" Sho exclaimed. "You sent a _real_ card up there!? Why!?"

"Because she was hurting my friends, so I thought that sending her to space might help. Though, as usual, I was wrong, and it's just gonna make everything worse..."

"So, wait, you're saying that a card really does want revenge?" Asuka asked.

Sho just stared, stunned by the whole exchange.

"Yep. Pretty much," Judai said. "_That_ part was the truth. It was the whole 'Jack wants to be an astronaut' thing that was made up."

"So, what will happen if you fail to find her?"

"She'll show up at Duel Academy while you're there, having tricked a teacher into helping her, and send the school—and a bunch of the students—to another dimension where she'll regain her strength by using the students. Everyone will get back to their own world with the help of a special card, but one kid will get left behind, and I'll get to watch my friends die for the first time..."

Asuka's eyes widened. "What!?"

Sho finally found his voice and asked, "First time...?"

"Yeah, though they won't really be dead, just trapped in another dimension," Judai went on. "Then, to save them, I'll end up dueling that duel monster, remembering a past life, and fusing with her as the only answer to undo all the damage I've caused..."

Asuka just stared, stunned and horrified.

"W-wh-wha—" Sho stuttered.

"I break everything I touch," Judai said. "Let's put it that way."

Asuka recovered and said, "S-so, if all that's true, then what's going on here!? You said Sho lived a long life, but how could you know that at your current age!? It sounds like you're gonna be our classmate! But you're only..." She trailed off, too stunned to finish.

Sho fidgeted slightly. _Bad feeling..._

Judai lowered his head. "...I'm part duel monster..."

"So I figured...," Asuka said.

"But that doesn't answer our question!" Sho protested.

"Duel monsters don't age...or die..."

"What!?"

"Yeah... Disease can't kill them, either... At least, not for long... I've never been dead for more than a year."

Asuka stared at him.

"So, you're immortal?" Sho asked. "That's kinda cool."

Judai pushed away the memory that was threatening to resurface—he wouldn't let himself think about it. "No, it's not," he told Sho firmly.

"Are you kidding? No one can kill you, and you survive everything! You're around to witness historical events and say 'I was there when it happened,' and—"

His head snapped up, and he glared at Sho as he interrupted, "And watch everyone I care about die."

That shut Sho up. He should have tried that when... He wouldn't think about it.

"So, have you _tried_ killing yourself yet?" Asuka asked, not sure what she wanted the answer to be, all things considered. "Maybe if someone killed you of an unnatural cause, then—"

"I've been killed before," he cut her off. "I just turn to stardust and come back later."

"Stardust?" she asked.

Judai smacked himself in the face. "In this other dimension, when someone died, they turned into sparkling dust—stardust—and were 'sent to the stars,' as people sometimes called it. Well, that's what I do when I die now."

Asuka looked at him, not entirely sure how to answer that. "I'm sorry...," she said at last.

Judai looked away.

"So you're thinking that getting the card back will make everything better?" Sho asked. "But won't it still be mad at you for sending it away in the first place?"

"Well, the spirit in that card, who lives inside of my head now, says that she might have been okay if she hadn't crash-landed on Earth after years in space. So I'm just hoping she's right."

Sho stared for a moment before saying, "Yup. I'm going with you guys, alright..."

"That's so sad," Asuka said. "I'll definitely help you out. Especially since I think I know who your dead lover really was."

He still wouldn't look at her, but she could see the tears forming in his eyes. She pulled him into a hug.

"It'll be okay," she assured him. "I know we'll find her."

Judai hugged her tight.

She was silent for a moment before, "You're real name's Judai, isn't it...?"

"...Yes..."

Asuka wasn't sure how she knew that, but she wasn't going to worry about it just then. She held onto Judai, stroking his back to soothe him.

Above, the spirit watched, speechless. When he recovered his voice, he said, _"She guessed his name...all because she hugged him...? Oh, no wonder he's so upset. Guess I never really knew how close those two were. Wow..."_

His friend looked on at the scene below, then turned to him, looking concerned.

_"__I...doubt there's much we can do right now, pal,"_ he confessed. _"Let's just hope these guys don't fail him."_

His friend nodded, and the two continued to watch over this quest—and especially Judai.


	8. Painful Memories Resurface

**A/N: Alright, here's the next chapter! Flashbacks are in bold. Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX or Yugioh 5D's.**

* * *

"Thank you, ma'am," Yusei said to the desk clerk. "We'll take them."

The gang had gone to the hotel Yusei had found, planning to check in for the night. With it being summer, they were practically booked, but there were three rooms available—two doubles and a single.

Yusei turned to the gang, room keys in hand, and said, "I got our rooms. Sorry, guys. There's only enough here for three, so some of us will have to share."

"I better get the single room," Aki said.

Jack humphed. "Fine, but can I bunk with someone who _isn't_ Crow? He drives me crazy sometimes!"

"Hey. The feeling's mutual, pal," Crow said.

"Then which one of you's staying with Judai?" Yusei asked. "Jack?"

"Why are you suggesting that?" Jack asked.

"Because I highly doubt you wanna room with me, either. Besides, Judai's pretty quiet. You won't even know he's there. It will be like having your own room all to yourself." Silently, Yusei added, _Unfortunately._

Jack humphed again. "Not quite, but okay. I guess that works."

"What about you two?" Yusei asked Judai and Crow. "Is that okay with you?"

"No complaints here, buddy!" Crow said with a wink, a grin, and a thumbs up.

Judai shrugged. "Whatever."

"Good. Then I suggest we rest up for tomorrow's trip. It's bound to be a long one."

"And how do we know Kaiba will agree to this?" Jack asked.

Aki answered, "We tell Mokuba. According to Asuka, Kaiba will do almost anything he requests."

"Then it's decided," Yusei said. "Mokuba gets to hear our full story."

Jack handed Yusei and Crow the bags he'd packed for them and headed to his room. Judai followed after the others wished him goodnight.

* * *

Judai sat on his bed, staring out the window, as Jack climbed into bed. Night wasn't really his favorite time of the day—heck, sometimes, it was worse than the daylight hours. He bet tonight would be one of those nights.

Yubel pulled him from his thoughts, saying, _"See, Judai? I told you this would work. Just one more day."_

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Yubel," he said quietly. "We still don't know if this is actually going to work."

_"__Okay. Quit it! You've been a real downer these past few centuries, and I think it's high time it stopped," _she snapped. _"This is a good thing! It should perk you up, not knock you down! Quit being such a pessimist already."_

"I'm not getting my hopes up, Yubel."

_"__Arg. It's third year all over again. Don't you ever get tired of always being depressed? At least treat this like a fun adventure like you used to love. I mean, you're going to _space_, for crying out loud! Aren't you even the least bit excited?"_

He lowered his head. "I just want to get this over with..."

_"__So, not even a space trip sounds fun to you?"_ Yubel asked lamely. _"Really?"_

Judai didn't answer. Yubel sighed.

_"__That's what I was afraid of. Whatever happened to all your charm? You lost it again. And after Yugi worked so hard to help you find it, too. Why?"_

He was quiet for a moment before answering, "You seriously think that I can keep this up forever?"

Yubel looked at him sadly. _"Judai..."_

Winged Kuriboh appeared, giving Judai the same sad look. _"Kurii..."_

Judai didn't say a word in response to either of them.

"So, are you done talking to yourself yet, kid?" Jack asked, looking at him. "Because I'd like to get some sleep tonight, if that's alright with you."

Judai turned to face Jack and said, "Yeah, I'm done. Sorry."

Jack humphed. "Just go to bed already." He rolled over to face the wall.

With some trepidation, knowing that his usual nightmares would be even worse after today, Judai lay down and went to sleep as well.

* * *

In the morning, Jack ordered room service. Why did he order room service? Because he was Jack. Crow, Yusei, and Aki had all come to see if the two were ready to leave and found Jack with a lobster on a food cart before him. Judai just leaned against the wall, watching.

"You just don't get it, do you!?" Crow demanded. "We can't afford all this junk! We just _barely_ had enough to pay for our rooms and a _small_ breakfast for everyone! Now we're broke again!"

Judai shrugged. "What does it really matter? It's not like we need money in space. Besides, shouldn't I be the one who's ticked off? That was my money, after all."

Crow was silenced—Judai had a point.

Jack grinned victoriously. "Yeah. What he said. Mind your own business, Crow."

Crow growled. "Wh-why, I oughta—!"

"It's fine, Crow," Yusei said. "We can get some later if we still need any. For now, though, I think we should go over our game plan. Just so everyone's clear, we're meeting Asuka and Sho at the park outside before heading to our appointment at 12. Once there, Aki will ask to speak alone with the younger Kaiba while the rest of us try to convince the president of KaibaCorp to help us out." He paused briefly, then asked, "Did I leave anything out?"

"No, I think that about sums it up," Judai said, though part of that plan had his stomach churning.

"Well, then, what are we standing around here for!?" Crow asked. "We should be getting ready to leave!"

Yusei and Aki nodded in agreement.

"Right," Jack said. "Just as soon as I finish my lobster."

"Aarg! You're impossible!" Crow exclaimed. "Okay, fine! But at_ least_ share with Judai!" He pointed at the boy against the wall. "He deserves a good meal!"

"That depends on if he wants any." Jack turned to Judai, hoping he wouldn't be hungry, and asked, "Well?"

He didn't know how big of a mistake that was until it was too late. Judai's expression lit up, and Yusei could actually see his old friend in there for once.

"Sure!" the brunette answered.

"What!? Really!?" Jack asked, shocked.

"Whoa!" Crow said. "Now _that_ was unexpected! That dude must love to eat!"

As they were talking, Judai had abandoned his spot by the wall and started helping himself to some of Jack's food, taking an extra plate that had been brought up and putting food on it. Jack looked annoyed at first, but then he saw just how much of his meal Judai was taking—he'd scooped up about half of what had been there eagerly.

"Hey, just how much are you planning to eat, anyway?" Jack asked, sitting forward, shocked.

Crow laughed. "Looks like your mealtime just got cut in half, dude! Good thing, too. Now you've got more time to get ready, Jack," he said, grinning and snickering.

Yusei grinned. Aki giggled. Judai, meanwhile, was scarfing down the food. Jack stared at him, even more stunned.

"Just what is this kid!?" he demanded, eyes wide.

"Whoa! Now that looks familiar," Crow said, watching Judai shovel food into his mouth as if it might run off if he didn't eat it fast enough. "Where have I seen that before?"

"I've seen Rua eat like that before," Aki said with a smile.

Crow snapped his fingers. "Yeah! That's it! So the dude's got something in common with Rua, huh?"

"It's more than that," Yusei said, smiling. "Those two are almost twins."

Judai stopped eating for a moment and looked at them. "Huh? Say something?" he asked.

Aki giggled again. "No. It's nothing." She let out another giggle.

Judai cocked his head.

Hovering just outside the window, the spirit laughed shortly. _"No matter how many times I see it, it still amazes me how much the guy loves to eat. Congrats, you guys,"_ he said, glad they had gotten Judai to smile like that again. _"Maybe I won't have to worry after all."_

* * *

When Jack—and Judai—had finished with that meal and everyone was ready to leave, they checked out of the hotel and headed to the park across the street.

Aki looked around at the pond in front of them, the trees, the benches, and the playground. "Wow. Look at this place. It kinda reminds me of the parks we have. That is, if the buildings weren't so old-looking." She glanced at the tall building in the distance—KaibaCorp.

"It's sure an amazing sight, huh?" Yusei asked.

Aki nodded, smiling. "A truly amazing sight. It's kinda neat to see how far we've come, and yet we've still kept some things the same. It's nice to think that there are some things that never change."

Yusei nodded, smiling in agreement.

Yubel, meanwhile, had appeared for all spirit-seers to see and looked ridiculously nervous, even going so far as to be pacing.

"Will you relax?" Judai asked.

_"__I can't,"_ she said. _"_They're_ coming, and you know what they'll do to you."_

"Yeah, well, there's no point in worrying about something you can't control, is there?"

_"__I guess..."_

The green-eyed spirit floating above looked across the park and gasped. He'd been worried before, but now he was panicked.

_"__W-what's _he_ doing with her!?"_ he asked. _"He's only gonna make things ten times worse! And, if _I_ step in, _I'll _make things ten times worse! What do I do!?"_

His friend told him to calm down—panicking wouldn't help any, and he should just let those guys handle it.

_"__I know, I know, but still,"_ he said, looking down at Judai. _"He's gonna break. Right here and now. Poor guy."_

Asuka came over in a green sundress and carrying a bag, saying, "Hey, guys! Ready to do this!?"

The gang turned to her, and Judai's eyes landed on a boy standing beside her—dressed in black pants and a blue shirt, a bag slung over his shoulder as if he planned on going somewhere, one of the last people in the world Judai wanted to see stood next to the very last person he wanted to see him with.

"Hey, Asuka!" Aki said. She looked at the other and asked, "Manjoume, what are you doing here?"

_Good question,_ Judai thought, staring at him.

"What do you think?" he asked. "I'm going, too. Don't ask me why, though..."

Judai stared for a moment, horrified—too horrified to speak. Finally, he said, "You can't come."

Rick. That was all he could think of at that moment. Asuka and Sho tagging along was one thing, but Asuka, Sho, _and_ Manjoume? No. That would mean he should just call up Johan in Norway and invite him along on this trip. Kenzan and Rei and the Kaiser, too, while he was at it. Maybe even Jim and O'Brien. No. Asuka and Sho were bad enough.

"Yeah, Manjoume," Asuka said, turning to him. "Why do you want to come with us, anyway? That's so unlike you."

He humphed. "I know," he said. "I don't know. I just can't let this guy go without me, for some reason. It's like something deep down's telling me to go, for some stupid reason."

"You can't come," Judai repeated, still looking horrified.

"And why not!?" Manjoume demanded. "Asuka's going! And did you forget that it was me who got you into this place in the first place!?"

"You can't come."

Manjoume stared, wondering what exactly was so bad about him that he couldn't come.

Sho came running over, a duffel bag in hand. "Aniki! I'm ready!"

"Aniki?" Manjoume asked, looking at Sho. "What, this your baby brother or something? He looks nothing like you!"

Judai just stared at Manjoume, apparently not noticing Sho, and repeated, "...You can't come."

"Aniki? You okay?"

"Alright! What's your problem!?" Manjoume demanded. "Snap out of it, you idiot! Now, why can't I come!? Well!?"

Judai looked at Asuka, then turned his attention back to Manjoume. "Because you can't."

Looking annoyed, Manjoume said, "That's not an answer, dimwit."

"Jaden?" Asuka asked, using his alias in front of Manjoume since he hadn't heard Judai's story.

"I don't know if we'll have room for you, and all of these guys are already going," Judai answered hastily. "They were on board before you, so they get first dibs. Besides, why would you want to go to space with a bunch of crazy aliens, anyway?"

Manjoume threw his arms up in the air, shouting, "I DON'T KNOW! You tell me! I mean, you obviously know me from somewhere, right!? Just who are you!?"

"Easy there, Manjoume," Asuka said. "No need to bite his head off."

"Well!?" Manjoume demanded.

Judai tensed.

"Aniki?" Sho asked. "Is he one of—" He cut himself off.

Judai stood there a moment before, desperation clear in his tone, saying, "Somebody give him a good reason not to come... Please..."

Asuka looked at him a moment before pointing at Yusei and looking toward KaibaCorp out of the corner of her eye, asking, "Does this have to do with you-know-what?"

Judai nodded.

"One second," Asuka said, taking Judai's hand and leading him off a little ways away from the group.

When they were far enough away not to be overheard speaking quietly, she whispered, "Okay, obviously, he's one of your old friends." Silently, she added, _Which is crazy, but..._ Aloud, she went on, "And, obviously, you don't want to see him. But why don't you want to see him?"

Judai shifted his weight. "It's not so much I don't _want_ to see him as it is I...can't _stand_ to see him... At least, not with..."

"With what? What's wrong?"

Judai stared at the ground, shifting his weight again. Asuka's eyes widened.

"You don't seriously mean..."

No answer from Judai. The look on his face was answer enough, though.

"Uh-huh," Asuka said, stunned. "And what alternate world am I living in in the future? That's crazy."

"Manjoume's not as bad as he seems," Judai told her. "He's just...hard to get close to, that's all. He needs someone to knock him down so he knows what it feels like to not always be at the top. And he could use a friend, too... Regardless of what he says."

Asuka shook her head nervously, wondering if she'd lost her mind in the future. "But, still, I..."

"Look, don't ask me, okay?" Judai said, sounding pained. "I don't even like to think about it, let alone try to figure out why."

Asuka stood there for the longest moment, stunned. Finally, she sweat.

Eyes closed, Judai said, "Though it's probably got something to do with me never aging..."

That's when it happened—one of his most painful memories, one he'd locked away long ago, resurfaced, and he couldn't stop it this time.

* * *

**They were twenty-six. At least, supposedly. Judai hadn't changed in the least since third year. When he stopped by Duel Academy, where Asuka was a teacher, she realized this.**

**As the two sat on the roof of the school, she asked, "Judai, I don't know how to say this, but you kinda look like you're still eighteen. Any idea why that would be?"**

"**I don't know," he answered, worried. "I guess I...haven't really been aging lately."**

**He was hoping he was wrong—maybe he just looked younger than he really was. There were people who did, after all.**

"**What!?" Asuka asked, startled.**

"**Yeah..."**

"**B-but how is that possible!? Please tell me you're joking!"**

**Judai shook his head. "I wish I was. I guess it's...because I fused with Yubel back in the alternate dimension."**

**He and Yubel had talked extensively about this little problem of his. As much as he tried to tell himself it wasn't what he thought it was, Yubel confirmed that it was. He clung to the hope that maybe she didn't know what she was talking about, but he was starting to wonder.**

**Asuka just stared at him. Not exactly the reaction he had been looking for—he had come here in the hopes of getting some reassurance that everything would be okay.**

"**Asuka?" he asked.**

**She stared at him another moment before saying, "Judai. I—"**

**He cocked his head.**

**Asuka took a deep breath, looking upset. "I'm sorry, Judai," she said. "But if that's true, then, I guess... I...don't think we can be friends anymore... At least, not right now, okay...?"**

**Judai stared at her in disbelief. He'd come here looking for support, and he was being abandoned by one of his closest friends instead?**

"**What?" he asked.**

**Asuka closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Judai, but...I can't do this. So, until I change my mind, don't come back here. Or even call. I won't pick up even if you do..."**

**She got up and walked away, her eyes still closed.**

**Judai watched her go, eyes tearing up. "Asuka..."**

* * *

Judai shook his head, trying to drive that painful memory away and put it back where it belonged—deep in his subconscious.

"Hey, are you okay?" Asuka asked.

"I'm getting tired of people asking me that..."

"What happened? Did you remember something?"

"Yeah. And I'd rather not talk about it. So let's forget I ever remembered."

She looked at him, then asked, "Was it about me?"

He lowered his head.

"So you remembered why you hate Manjoume, then," she guessed.

And there it was—another painful memory he'd locked away.

* * *

**Judai sat in the 34-year-old Sho's backyard while he made them dinner on the grill. He'd died of cancer last year, yet here he was. Sho was so grateful to have him back that he was having a celebratory cookout. His wife, Junko, was picking the kids up from school.**

"**I had **_**cancer**_**!" Judai said to no one in particular for the umpteenth time. "And I **_**died**_**! So why am I here!?"**

_"__**I don't know,"**_** Yubel admitted.**_** "But at least it made your friends happy. Didn't Johan say he was coming over for the 'party?'"**_

**Judai thought that Yubel was only half right about his friends being happy—there was one person who may not even have known he'd died. He had tried to call her time after time when he had been diagnosed, yet she never answered, just as she'd promised. And at a time when he had needed her the most...**

"**So, they're celebrating my return from the dead?" he asked, pulling himself away from his thoughts. "With me still being eighteen?"**

**The more this went on, the more Judai got a really bad feeling about what exactly "this" was.**

_"__**I guess,"**_** she answered.**

**Johan came over, excited. "Heey! Judaiii! Great to see ya!" he called.**

"**Uh, hey, Johan!" Judai said with a smile, pushing away his worries for now—he'd worry about this later.**

"**Man, am I glad to see you! I've really missed you, pal!" Johan said, a huge smile on his face.**

"**Uh, sorry?" Judai said. **_**What are you supposed to say when you come back from the dead?**_

"**Anyway, since you **_**were**_** dead all year, I assume you haven't heard the news yet."**

"**What news?" Judai asked.**

"**It's Manjoume and Asuka!" Johan answered, still smiling. "They're getting married! Can you believe it!?"**

**Judai's eyes widened. "W-what!?"**

"**See for yourself," Johan said, holding out a newspaper.**

**Judai snatched it and stared. The headline read, "Manjoume Thunder, the New King of Games, Takes a Queen!" Apparently it was a big enough story to not only make the front page but take up the whole thing. There was a picture of the happy couple kissing at their engagement party.**

**Judai's stomach churned. He stared for another moment, unable to speak. "What...?"**

"**I know. Hard to believe that just a year ago, she was still playing hard to get. I wonder what ****changed?" Johan looked thoughtful, a finger on his chin.**

**Judai just stared at the picture, which made him feel even more sick the more he looked at it.**

**Johan looked at his friend for a second before asking, "So, you didn't even know that was going on?"**

**Judai hesitated before saying, "She...she hasn't spoken to me in years..."**

"**Oh... Sorry."**

**That's when Judai's phone went off. He pulled it out and stared at the caller ID in disbelief for a moment: Asuka Tenjoin.**

**He pushed send, accepting the call, and tried to keep his voice neutral as he said, "Hey, Asuka. What's up?"**

"**Hi, Judai!" she said, sounding super happy. "Guess what? I've got some great news! We can be friends again!"**

"**Really? Why's that?"**

"**Well, let's just say, I've come to terms with reality," she said sadly. Then she giggled and, sounding happy again, went on, "Speaking of which, I'm engaged! You're invited to the wedding, if you're interested."**

**Judai felt something inside of him break. He took his time answering, trying not to let her hear any pain in his voice when he finally said, "Congrats. Yeah, I'll be there. When is it?"**

**He knew even as Asuka gave him the details that he'd regret going to it, but he hadn't seen her in so long it hurt.**

"**It's gonna be great to see you again," Asuka said. "I've missed you, Judai." She giggled.**

**Judai smiled sadly and said, "Yeah, I've missed you, too."**

"**Oh! Look at the time!" she said suddenly. "I'm running late, so I've gotta go! Can't wait to see ya, though! Bye!"**

**Quietly, Judai echoed, "Bye."**

**Asuka hung up, and the first conversation he'd had with her in eight years was over.**

**Johan looked at Judai, concern written all over his face, and asked, "You okay, pal?"**

**Judai sat there silently for a moment before saying, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay."**

**But he was still staring at his phone.**

* * *

Judai shook his head again. "Asuka, stop asking questions, alright? Look, I don't hate Manjoume, I just don't want him coming with us!"

"Okay... But..." She hesitated, not wanting to upset him more.

"But what!?" he demanded.

"I, uh..." She sighed. "I think you should bring Manjoume along..."

"Why?"

"Well, from the sound of it, you two...had a lot of unfinished business and may have ended your time together badly? So maybe there's a reason he keeps showing up now."

Judai just stared at her.

"I mean, what if this is your chance to mend the fences before it's all over?" she continued. "I mean, with the way things are going, he's likely to wind up hating the old you because of it."

"...Fine..."

"So I'm not in trouble, then?"

Judai looked at her, then shook his head. "I never have been able to stay mad at you for long. Not even when you weren't answering when I was..." He trailed off. After a moment, he finished, "No, you're never in trouble with me."

Asuka smiled. "That's a relief."

"Hey! Lovebirds!" Jack called. "You're breaking the rules over there! Mind coming back here so we can leave!?"

Asuka blinked, slightly startled by the lovebirds comment. "Rules? What rules?"

Judai was glaring rather fiercely as he walked over and punched Jack in the face.

"And what was _that_ for!?" Jack demanded.

Still glaring at him, Judai said, "Shut. Up."

Asuka stared, stunned. "Huh...?"

"Aniki!"

Judai looked at Manjoume and said, "Manjoume, you can come. And, of there isn't room, you can take Jack's spot."

With what he'd just remembered, that comment of Jack's was especially unappreciated. Lovebirds...they'd never been. Yusei had guessed that he'd had a girlfriend, but he'd been off about one thing—they'd never been together. She had always been just a friend, albeit one he'd had a crush on since he met her.

"Why the sudden change of heart, pal?" Yusei asked. "I thought you didn't want him to come."

"Yeah, well, I guess it couldn't hurt to drag one more guy along..."

Manjoume humphed. "Whatever. Can we go now? You'll be late if you don't hurry."

"He's right, guys," Aki said. "It's already 11:45."

"Then we should get going," Judai said, heading off toward KaibaCorp.

The others followed, filling Manjoume in on everything he needed to know along the way. Judai smirked at his protests about them being from the future.

Above, the spirit watched, thinking. _"Hmm... Sho, Asuka, _and_ Manjoume... Oh, now I _really_ can't go down there and help!"_

His friend nodded in agreement.

_"__Man, can this get any worse?"_ He waved his friend along, saying, _"Come on, pal. We better follow, just to be sure."_

His friend agreed, and the two took on their light forms to follow the gang into KaibaCorp.


	9. Straight Out of Sci-Fi

**A/N: Alright, here's the next chapter! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX or Yugioh 5D's.**

* * *

When they arrived at KaibaCorp, Manjoume handed Aki a briefcase he was going to drop off while he was there, saying it was a gift for Mokuba—his family's way of trying to butter the guy up. Once it was made clear that she would be speaking to Mokuba, they approached the man from yesterday.

"Hi. We're from the Manjoume Group, here to see Mr. Kaiba," Manjoume said, showing the guy his ID card.

"Hmm..." The man looked at it closely. "Very well. Come on in. The president's waiting for you."

"Uh, actually, sir, I'm here to speak with the vice president," Aki said. "Something about Capmon?"

"Ah. You must be here to deliver his special shipment," the man said. "I'll gladly escort you to him right after we get them to their meeting."

"Okay. Thank you, sir."

The man took them to a large meeting room before escorting Aki off to see Mokuba. Kaiba stood in the back of the room, his back to them, wearing his outfit from Battle City. His stance belayed his annoyance.

"Alright, you dorks. What do you want now?" he asked.

"Honestly, I'm not even sure," Manjoume said.

"What?" Kaiba turned and stared for a moment before asking, "Why am I surrounded by an army of losers? What do you weirdos all want?"

"Forgive us for deceiving you, Mr. Kaiba," Yusei said. "But my name is Yusei Fudo, and my friends and I have come a long way just to see you."

"Oh, really?" Kaiba said lamely, a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

"Yes, sir, Mr. Kaiba. But, before I explain, may I ask you, do you believe in traveling through time?"

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Well, I was just wondering since I hear you shot a rocket into space in order to use the cosmic waves for something? Doesn't that also fall under the category of science fiction?"

Kaiba sighed, realizing what this boy was trying to say. "Okay. When are you from? And why are you here?"

"Seriously?" Judai said. "Wow, Yugi had me thinking that would be harder..."

* * *

While they explained their story to him, Aki was shown to Mokuba. She peeked into the room, saying, "Excuse me, sir. May I come in? I have your package with me."

A 21-year-old man stood there with long black hair, looking overly excited. "Alright! Come on in!" he said.

"Wow. You sure sound excited," Aki said, walking into the room. "Are these that cool?"

"You bet they are!" he said, walking over to take the briefcase from her. "Rare, gold-plated level five Capmon? Who wouldn't want those!?"

"Then here you go, sir! I hope you enjoy them," she said as she handed him the briefcase full of Capmon.

"Yahoo! Thanks!"

"No problem, sir," she said. "Say, while I'm here, would you mind me asking a few questions about the stuff you and your brother do here, sir?"

"Like what?" he asked.

"How about we start with one about a space experiment performed by this company years ago? Is it true there were two capsules launched instead of one?"

Mokuba's eyes widened. "Where did you hear that!?"

"So that's a yes?"

"Why does it matter to you?"

"Then it is true," she guessed. "Now, I know this may be hard to grasp, but I know the card's owner. He's, how should I put this? Having a rough time right now, so to speak?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Can you promise me you won't freak out when you hear this?"

Mokuba looked at her lamely. "Please. With all the weirdness _my_ life's had? I promise, it'll take a lot to make me freak out."

"Okay...," Aki said, not sure she wanted to know. "Then I guess hearing that you're talking to someone who's from the distant future won't bother you?"

He crossed his arms. "Huh. That's a twist. Last time, it was the ancient past."

"What!?" Aki demanded, startled. "Wait, are you talking about the Nameless Pharaoh? You knew him?"

"Sure, he was my brother's long-time rival," Mokuba answered casually. "But, anyway, you were saying?"

"Right. Well, anyway, I surprisingly met that boy who won your contest in his late teens. The bad part is he really shouldn't have been there. You see, I'm from 2000 years in the future. So his reason for being there couldn't have been good. I—"

"Wait, what?" Mokuba cut her off, startled.

"I know. It's weird but true. He and my friends are currently having a meeting with your brother because of it. We believe the cause of his problem is directly connected to that extra card, so we're trying to retrieve it."

Mokuba stared at her for a second before asking, "Right, think you can start at the beginning?"

"Judai, the kid in question, was in my time, totally depressed," she began. "I asked him what was wrong, and he ignored me, telling me to leave him alone. My friend, Yusei Fudo, got him to open up to us, and we found out that he'd stopped aging and couldn't die. He'd revive soon after any deaths, no matter what caused them." She paused to let him absorb that.

"...Okay... And, apparently, one of the cards he sent up into space has something to do with this?"

"Yes, sir. He told us that this was because he fused with the card's spirit at the age of eighteen in order to save everyone from it, and that made him part duel monster."

"Okay... So what do you want from us?"

"Well, we figured out that going to space before it's too late and retrieving the card could potentially reverse the events that caused him to have to fuse with it."

Mokuba raised an eyebrow. "So, what? You want a spaceship or something?"

"If that's at all possible, sir," Aki said with a bow.

Mokuba looked thoughtful for a moment. "Alright, let's go see how that meeting with my brother's going," he said at last.

* * *

"NONSENSE!" Kaiba bellowed, cutting Yusei off mid-sentence. "The time traveling's bad enough! Do you honestly expect me to believe all that!? If there's one thing I know, it's this! There's no possible way for a human and a duel monster to become one being! Just who do you think I am!?"

Judai muttered, "Yeah, that's more like Yugi said he'd act..."

_"__Care to prove him wrong? We could always _demonstrate_,"_ Yubel suggested before laughing lowly.

Judai shrugged, figuring he could do that without hurting anyone. "You want a demonstration?"

"What I want is you idiots out of my face," Kaiba told him. "Now get out before I call security."

"But, sir! You don't understand!" Asuka protested. "We—"

"I said get out!"

"Seto!" Mokuba said as he and Aki entered just in time to hear that.

"I take it things aren't going well?" Aki said.

"Well, he seemed to believe us at first," Yusei said. "But then I mentioned the stuff about Judai, and he changed his mind."

Judai felt an all-too-familiar sensation as Yubel tried to take control of his body. _"Judai, I'm taking over! That way, we can _really_ show them what we're made of!"_

Kaiba had struck a nerve.

"Hey, cut it out!" Judai protested, resisting her.

_"__Judai, just once!" _she said as she struggled with him._ "Just let me have this one super jerk and—"_

"Cut it out, Yubel!"

Kaiba humphed. "Quit yelling at yourself. I'm not falling for it."

Judai's eyes started flashing colors, going from their usual brown to orange and green and back again rapidly.

_"__Judai! Come on! He deserves this! He's the only thing left standing in your way of getting your life back! Why are you so stubborn!? Let's teach him a lesson already!"_

"NO!"

Mokuba watched the boy closely. _That doesn't look good. Seto, watch yourself..._

"Judai! You alright!?" Yusei asked, worried.

_"__Judai! Just let me do this already!"_

He kept fighting, not letting her take control.

_"__Why won't you ever listen to me? This is the guy the Nameless Pharaoh had trouble with. He'll never listen to us if he doesn't have some really good evidence. And I'm pretty sure my attack will do it. Vines out of nowhere? Get it?"_

She was still trying to take over, but she had let up some. She was devoting more of her energy to trying to reason with him.

_Yeah, well, is attacking him gonna convince him to help?_ Judai asked.

Yubel stopped, leaving Judai with a headache. He put a hand to his head.

"Judai?" Aki asked.

Everyone was looking at him with concern. Well, everyone save Seto Kaiba.

"You okay?" Asuka asked.

"Aniki!"

"Just a headache," he said, annoyed. "No big deal..."

"_Just_ a headache!?" Crow exclaimed. "Dude! Your eyes were changing colors at lightning speed! What in the world was that!?"

"Yubel trying to take over because she thinks somebody needs a dose of Nightmare Pain."

On impulse, Yubel responded, _"Hey, I didn't say _everyone_ needed some. Just him."_ She pointed at Kaiba.

"And I didn't say you thought 'everyone' does. Just 'somebody.'"

She humphed. _"Sorry. I guess I'm just used to you saying everyone. After all, you usually do..."_

This wasn't the first time they'd done this, but, seeing as only he was hearing Yubel right then, Judai wasn't about to go into detail about the other times Yubel had tried to take over. They usually took place when somebody upset him, just like when he was a kid and she'd hurt his friends.

"Yeah, well, maybe you should stop trying to take over all the time!" he said. Then he thought about that for a second. _Hmm... Would it hurt any less if I were the back personality? If Yubel was in charge? Oh, geez, what am I thinking? Damn, I'm desperate._

"Enough," Kaiba said, dragging Judai away from his thoughts. "I'm tired of this freak show. Why don't you guys take your mutant act back to the circus where it belongs?"

And all of a sudden, Judai agreed with Yubel—_he_ wanted to hit Kaiba.

_"__Well?"_ she asked.

"Seto, maybe you should hear them out," Mokuba said.

"What!?"

"It couldn't hurt to just hear what they have to say, could it? I mean, you're working on an inter-dimensional duel field so you can duel Atem again."

Kaiba growled, looking annoyed. "Fine. You were saying?"

Judai sighed, not expecting Kaiba to believe a word he said. Nevertheless, he continued where Yusei had left off.

"Well, like you've already protested, I'm fused with a duel spirit. See, that Yubel card I asked you to send up into space for me? Yeah, that just made things worse. She came back angry, vengeful, and crazy, trying to hurt me and everyone I cared for, saying it was because she 'loved' me. She sent the school to another dimension, so thanks for putting that inter-dimensional duel field under the tennis courts. It really came in handy for sending Rainbow Dragon for Johan so that he could use it to get us all back. Except, of course, for him."

"What...?" Kaiba asked—he had the duel field the kid had mentioned, but he sure as heck hadn't sent it to Duel Academy...although he was going to.

"Yeah. So, seeing as Johan was a friend of mine and it was my fault he was trapped in another dimension with a crazy duel spirit, I went looking for him when another rift opened up on the island," Judai went on. "My friends tagged along, but it sent us to a different dimension, a place called Dark World."

"I've heard of that place," Aki said. "According to legend, it's a magical land ruled by tiger/human hybrids. It's called Mystic World now, but it was once called Dark World, right before the birth of its first queen, Tania Misawa. But I thought it was just a legend in a children's book!"

"Uh, Tania and Misawa, huh?" Judai said. "Figures they'd do that... Misawa was one of the friends who followed me to Dark World—Daichi Misawa," he explained. "He stayed behind when the rest of us got out of there because he wanted to help the people of that world. His girlfriend, Tania, stayed with him. Well, I guess I know how _his_ life turned out now..."

He shook his head and continued, "Anyway, things were pretty crazy in Dark World, and, to make a long story short, I found Johan, but Yubel was possessing him, so I had to do something to get her out of him. After I managed _that_, I went to finish things with her once and for all, remembered something from a past life of mine about her being human and us being...friends...and fused with her to fix things."

"Past lives again?" Kaiba asked. "Now I know you're making this up. You read Sugoroku Mutou's book, didn't you?"

"Yeah, somehow, I knew you'd say that... Ugh, why am I even trying?"

_"__Do it. That's an order,"_ Yubel said angrily.

"I am _not_ taking orders from _you_ because, in case you forgot, _I'm_ in charge here, in more ways than one," he answered. _After all, it's my body, _and_ I'm her prince or king or whatever._

She humphed.

Mokuba looked at the boy for a moment before turning to his brother and saying, "Seto, I know it sounds crazy, but, again, you're trying to duel an ancient Egyptian pharaoh in the afterlife using a modern card game."

The mention of dueling pharaohs in the afterlife got Judai thinking of Abidos, who was probably wondering where he was.

Kaiba growled, unable to refute his brother's point.

Judai pulled his thoughts away from Abidos and said, "Yeah, well, I used a card called Super Polymerization, which, apparently, was something that only existed in Dark World, to fuse with her. I wound up with new powers and a body that never ages. Or dies."

_There's no way Kaiba's going to believe this. Maybe I should hunt Yugi down and get him to help me out here. But that would be weird..._

The look Kaiba was giving him somehow managed to be lame while conveying a great deal of annoyance.

Mokuba looked back at his brother, arms crossed, and asked, "So? What do you think?"

"Do it," Kaiba said, defeated.

"Seriously?" Judai asked.

"I don't care what you do anymore. Just get out of my face. I'll send word to the spaceport to await your arrival. Heck, why stop there? Since we sent the thing into space for you, we might as well help you retrieve it, right?" He sounded pretty annoyed, though it did sound like he was going to help.

"Seto, does this mean you're—"

"Inform the men on KaibaCorp 365," Kaiba said. "They're going to our space ark."

"Alright!" Mokuba said.

"We did it, Judai!" Asuka cheered. "We're almost there now!"

Judai smiled slightly. The rest all cheered or smiled. Okay, Jack and Manjoume tried, but they looked more like they were smirking instead.

Outside, the green-eyed spirit cheered, along with his dancing companion. _"They did it! Hooray! One step closer to our goal! You can do it, guys! You can do it!"_

Back inside, Yubel said, _"See, Judai? We _can_ do this!"_

_Yeah, _he thought. _Maybe..._

_"__That's better, I guess,"_ Yubel sighed, thinking that this was an improvement over the complete pessimism.

Winged Kuriboh looked at him sadly. _"Kurii..."_

"Isono, please escort them all to the flight port for training," Kaiba said to the man who had shown them in.

"Yes, sir, Mr. Kaiba," Isono said. "Right this way, everyone."

* * *

As the gang followed Isono to their destination, Manjoume said to Judai, "I'm sorry, but was that a slight smile you had on? 'Cause, if it was, quit doing it. I thought I was gonna gag." To himself, he thought, _Warm, fuzzy inside. Give me a break!_

"Don't worry," Judai said. "In present company, I can basically guarantee that's not going to be a common thing."

"But why, Aniki?" Sho asked. "That felt so good."

Judai thought about the fact that Asuka and Manjoume were both coming on this trip, then said, "Long story. Too long, and I'm not telling."

"Aniki..."


	10. Trying to Cheer Him Up

**A/N: New chapter! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX or Yugioh 5D's.**

* * *

Several days of training awaited the gang at the space port, during which Sho swore he was going to throw up. The gang also learned something about Judai—it was dang near impossible to get him out of bed in the morning.

The day they were supposed to leave, Sho was in his and Judai's shared room at "Space Camp," as Sho called it due to the fact that it had been built like an actual camp with cabins and all that, gently shaking him as he tried to wake him—although he was sure that wouldn't work.

"Aniki! Get up! Today's the big day!"

"I'm up, I'm up," Judai muttered, sitting up.

Sho cocked his head. "You sure? 'Cause you look half asleep."

Rubbing his eyes, Judai said, "Yeah, I'm sure. Just give me a sec."

Sho stared at him, stunned. "Wow. That's a first. I understood your first words today."

"Funny."

There was a knock at the door, and Manjoume's voice called, "Alright, you idiot! Get up! I've got a bucket of water, and I ain't afraid to use it!"

"I'm already up!" Judai called, irritated.

"Hello?" Asuka called. "Judai? You awake yet?"

Now _that_ one he definitely didn't want trying to wake him up again. When she had done it over the last few days, she kissed him on the cheek, making him shoot out of bed like a rocket. Nope. She wasn't gonna do that again. Not today.

Judai sighed and opened the door. "For the third time, people, yes. I'm awake," he said, a lame look on his face.

His phone rang, and Judai was sure it was Crow, calling to yell at him to "RISE AND SHINE, PAL!" and remind him that "THE EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM!"

Judai answered his phone, saying, "I'm up! Let it be known that Judai Yuki is awake! Okay!?"

"Okay!" Crow said, confirming Judai's suspicions. "Good to hear. Not soaking wet or red in the face from embarrassment again, I hope."

"No," Judai answered shortly. "No, I am not."

"Great! That's a first! So, Sho's Hurricane Shake was actually enough today?"

Judai stood there lamely for a moment before saying, "Yeah, I'm hanging up now."

* * *

Yusei, meanwhile, had volunteered to do something stupid—get Aki. Alone. On his way, he ran into the same problems he ran into when he went to get her for a date.

"Ow!" he said as he stubbed his toe, having leaped out of bed quickly because he was already running a bit behind. "Damn it! How could I be so reckless?" He shook it off and ran for the door. "Arg. I don't have time for _this_! I've got to go get—WHOOOAA!"

As he had been running for the door, he tripped over a chair. Shaking that one off, he sat up.

"You've got to be kidding," he said. "_Now_, even? But this isn't even a date!"

"Yusei!" Jack said, entering the room. "Great, you're up. Now come here and get this damn thing off me!" He had his hand stuck in a pickle jar.

Yusei sighed. "Yeah, sure, Jack. Hold still."

Jack was fortunate—or maybe it was unfortunate. The jar was plastic, not glass, which served to convince Yusei that the universe was against him or something. A glass jar could just have been smashed, and Jack probably would have. Plastic was a little trickier. Yusei pulled a knife out and carefully cut around Jack's hand, widening the opening of the jar.

Once it was removed, Jack humphed. "What a pain. That's the last time I ever have pickles with anything. Thanks for the help, though."

"Any time, Jack. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

He headed to the showers. Nothing exciting there, until he was getting out and the fire alarm went off...while he was still wet and naked.

"Come on already!" he exclaimed. "Can't I ever catch a break? Damn!"

He headed outside, wrapped in a towel.

* * *

Once his little fire alarm adventure was over (as it turned out, somebody had pulled the alarm as a prank), Yusei hurriedly got dressed and ran to Aki's cabin to get her.

"Aki?" he called, knocking on the door. "It's me. I sure hope you're ready, because—"

"I'm ready," she said with some annoyance as she opened the door. "So what happened now?"

"Long story. Don't ask."

"Oh. Okay." She paused for a second, then added, "Yusei? You know, this isn't technically a date, right? Leave your bad luck at the door before you cause us to hold everyone else up."

"Right. I'll try," he promised.

* * *

An hour later, the rest of the gang, gathered by the shuttle with Isono, was really starting to wonder where Aki and Yusei were.

"There they are!" Asuka said suddenly, pointing at the two as they approached.

Manjoume humphed. "What the heck kept them!?"

"Probably just that," Jack said. "I knew someone should have gone with them!"

Aki and Yusei joined the others, Yusei looking apologetic. "Hey, guys," he said. "Sorry we're so late."

"Okay, what gives?" Crow asked. "That wasn't even a date, and you're still way behind schedule! What happened now!?"

Yusei sweat. "Godzilla and King Kong challenged me and Aki to a tag duel..." He sounded annoyed.

"Well, a couple of guys dressed like them did, at least," Aki amended, sounding equally annoyed.

Yubel, hidden from their view, stared at them for a minute. _"And I thought your first set of friends were weird..."_

"Huh," Judai said simply, a bit stunned by this himself.

Isono said, "Well, now that you're all finally here, I should hope you're all ready to travel."

"Excuse me, but most of us have _been _ready!" Jack said. "Right!?"

"Yeah!" Crow said.

Asuka nodded.

"I think so..." Silently, Sho added, _I've got my barf bag ready, at least..._

"We're ready," Aki said, still annoyed.

Yusei nodded, again feeling guilty. Judai didn't answer, if only because he wasn't ready—having second thoughts again did not convey readiness, after all. Manjoume, however, nodded as well.

"Good! Then suit up and get on board!" Isono said. "We'll be lifting off shortly."

The gang went to put on their space suits for the trip.

Meanwhile, the spirit hovered nearby. _"Hmm. What do you think, pal?"_ he asked his friend. _"Should we sneak aboard the shuttle? Or head up ourselves and wait on them?"_

The red-eyed spirit liked the first idea better, saying it sounded safer.

_"__Yeah. You're probably right," _the green-eyed spirit admitted. _"Don't know what the Earth's atmosphere could do to us! Especially you, pal. Let's get on board."_

The two turned into their light forms and entered the shuttle just as the others were ready to board.

* * *

As the countdown started, Sho started having second thoughts. But it was too late by then—the shuttle launched when the countdown reached zero. Sho screamed the whole way up, making Judai wish he wasn't sitting right next to him. Once they had escaped the Earth's atmosphere, though, things calmed down, and Sho stopped screaming. This was a huge relief, as everyone's ears were ringing after that.

Manjoume growled, then glared at Sho and said, "Geez, kid! You're worse than a newborn baby!"

Sho lowered his head. "Sorry..."

"Don't worry about it," Judai said, rubbing the ear closest to the screamer. "As long as no one's deaf, we're good."

"STOP YELLING!" Asuka bellowed. "WE'RE IN THE SAME ROOM!"

Judai looked at her, concerned, and quietly said, "I'm not yelling."

"And how are you feeling, Yusei?" Aki asked her boyfriend.

"...I'm fine...," he answered, hands still covering his ears.

"Good," Jack said. "It seems we're all in one piece. Right, Crow?"

"Huh!? You saw a foe!?" Crow demanded, apparently having difficulty with his hearing. "Who!? And what are they doing _here_, for crying out loud!?"

Judai looked from Asuka to Crow and back again. "Hopefully, that'll clear up..."

"Don't worry," the pilot said. "The fact that they can hear at all's already a good sign. We'll have the doctor check on them when we get there, if we have to."

"Good," Yusei said. "How long will that take?"

"Oh, about two to three days. You can get up now, if you want."

Manjoume unfastened his seat belt and stood, saying, "Great, so what do we do until then?"

"Hang out," Judai said, getting up. "What else are we gonna do?"

"Good plan," Crow said, leaning back in his chair with his arms folded behind his head, eyes closed. "Let's just kick back and enjoy the ride!"

Judai ditched his spacesuit and walked out to explore the ship—or get away from everyone. Yusei wasn't sure which. The old Judai would be exploring, but that Judai was seldom seen anymore...

Sho jumped up and ran after him, wrestling out of his spacesuit on the way, calling, "Aniki! Wait for me!"

* * *

"Wow!" Sho said, looking around in awe. "This place is huge! What do you think, Aniki?"

"I think I'd like to know why you're following me around outer space, Sho," Judai answered lamely.

Sho blinked. "Huh? But I thought you wanted me to come up here."

"You said you wanted to come, so that's fine, but do you have to follow me everywhere on-board the shuttle, too?"

"Why not?"

Judai thought about that first promotion exam they'd had, the one where he'd beaten Manjoume and been promoted to Ra Yellow and hadn't gone. That night, Sho had clung to him and said he'd follow him everywhere, and Judai had said he didn't care if he followed him as long as he let go. Now he was regretting that—he _did_ care if Sho followed him, knowing how this friendship would end...and how it would... No. He wouldn't think about it!

"Huh? Aniki? You okay?" Sho asked, pulling Judai from his thoughts.

"Really? Why does everyone keep asking that? The answer hasn't changed, you know."

"I know. But you seem a little _more_ upset right now."

Judai didn't answer—Sho was way too perceptive for his liking.

"Yusei! You're impossible!" Aki cried from nearby.

"Huh?" Sho said, turning. "What's going on?"

Judai looked. Off to the side, Aki and Yusei stood alone, the girl fuming at Yusei. Apparently it had happened again.

"So are you telling me your luck is so _bad_ that we can't even enjoy a simple walk together!?" Aki demanded.

"Aki, how many times do I have to say I'm sorry before you'll believe me?" Yusei asked.

"Oh, I know you're sorry, Yusei. That's not the point! I don't know if you broke a mirror or walked under a ladder or _what_ you might have done to get yourself jinxed, but, until you fix it, stay away from me! Got that?"

With that, she stormed off, leaving Yusei staring after her.

"...Great."

"Wow," Sho said. "She's scary..."

Judai just stared, a feeling of deja vu hitting him all of a sudden. Aki had just told Yusei that she didn't want to see him again until further notice, all because of something that wasn't even his fault. It reminded him of Asuka turning her back on him because of his aging problem...

Yusei walked off, wishing there was something he could do about his cursed rotten luck.

"Gee, I hope they can work that out," Sho said. "Right, Aniki?"

"...Yeah..."

"Aniki? What is it?"

_If Asuka took the news badly, how did she think _I _was feeling about the whole thing?_ Judai wondered. _Yet she said we couldn't be friends anymore?_

_"__You're doing it again,"_ Yubel pointed out.

_I know..._

_"__Then quit it before it gets worse."_

_Okay..._

"So, now what?" Sho asked, looking at Judai.

Great. More deja vu. Just what he needed.

"What do you mean, now what?" he asked. "You can figure out what to do on your own, can't you?"

Sho looked at him for a moment, clearly not happy. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying you don't have to follow me everywhere, Sho."

"But I want to."

Judai looked away. There was no way he could take that. It would be like sitting around and watching Manjoume and Asuka in the same room—not good for his sanity, which he felt he was already losing.

* * *

Unfortunately for Judai, he couldn't convince Sho to stop following him, no matter what he did. Heck, the kid even went so far as to ask to bunk with him again. Needless to say, Judai said no, which reduced Sho to begging.

"Aw, come on," he whined. "Why not? We shared a room at Space Camp."

"Sho, seriously, why do you need to be with me every moment of the day?" Judai asked.

"Uh..." He looked confused for a moment. "I really don't know... I just feel like I should want to... Really badly..."

Judai stared at him. That was the exact worst answer Sho could have given. He felt like he should want to? But some things that happened in the future... He wouldn't think about that!

"Please don't...," Judai pleaded.

"But—"

Unable to stand anymore time with Sho just then, Judai ran off.

"Aniki! What'd I say!?" Sho called, chasing his friend down the hall. "Aniki! Slow down! Why are you running from me!? What did I do wrong!?"

Judai just kept running, desperately needing a break. Sho kept chasing, managing to keep up with the older boy and trying to get an answer out of him.

It was maybe twenty minutes before Judai stopped running, giving up. He leaned against a wall as Sho caught up at last. The smaller boy leaned over, placing his hands on his knees, catching his breath.

"Aniki..."

Judai just focused on breathing, head lowered to hide his face.

"I'm...sorry," Sho panted. "I didn't mean to upset you... You still mad?"

After a moment, Judai said, in a voice barely above a whisper, "I never was..."

"Aniki... So, are we still friends, then?"

"Yeah, of course..."

"And we have a winner, folks," Manjoume said, walking up behind the two. "The prize for the longest, most ridiculous chase I've ever seen goes to _you two_! Congrats."

Sho turned to the smirking duelist. "Manjoume!"

Judai looked at him, still silent.

"So, what was that about, anyway?" Manjoume asked.

"...He's a duckling..." Judai pointed at Sho as he spoke.

Manjoume smirked again, saying, "Well, aren't you lucky. Congratulations on your first-born chick."

Judai stared at him for a second before asking, "Remind me why you came?"

"Gee, I guess it's so I could make fun of you two," he answered, still smirking. "Sure is fun, at least."

Judai stared at him, feeling worse and worse. _Just like old times..._

Back in their first year at Duel Academy, Manjoume had been a jerk at first, but he was different when he got back from North Academy...though he still liked to pick on Judai and Sho. That never changed. Not until the day Manjoume found out Judai had come back from the dead for the first time had the teasing ended. That was on his and Asuka's wedding day... Judai never thought he'd miss being called an idiot all the time, and knowing how it would end made Manjoume's teasing actually hurt for once.

"Okay, guys," Asuka said, walking over. "That's enough. Why don't you give him some space? He clearly needs it."

"Asuka-san...," Sho said, looking at her. "Okay."

And, finally, Judai's duckling left.

Manjoume humphed. "Whatever. It's not _my_ fault they make it too easy. Sheesh," he said before walking off.

Judai looked at Asuka hesitantly, then said, "Thanks..."

"Don't mention it," she said. Then, gently, a concerned look in her eyes, she asked, "You gonna be okay, Judai? You never run from us like that."

"I don't know," he said, looking away.

She walked over. "Hey, it'll be alright. Look outside. We've come this far. How could we possibly fail now?" she asked. "Why, KaibaCorp's even gonna help look for the card. Things couldn't be going better for you right now. So cheer up. It's all gonna work out fine, okay?"

His eyes teared up, and he said, "The same as always..."

Suddenly he pulled her into his arms, startling Asuka, who wondered what had caused him to do that.

"Huh!?"

He just held her tight, fighting back the tears.

She looked at him sympathetically. _Poor guy..._

She hugged him back. And, with that simple gesture, he was crying.

Asuka pulled away, wondering why that had seemed to make things worse. He looked at her questioningly as he reluctantly let her go.

_How?_ Asuka wondered. _How can I hope to cheer him up like this? Everything I do reminds him of my future self that he lost._

Suddenly an idea hit her. Though she was hesitant to try it. _But nothing else works, so, maybe, with a __little luck..._

She decided to give it a shot. She giggled and said, "Aw, what was that about, sweetie?" She giggled again. "You just, like, totally hugged me back there! Why? You think I'm pretty?"

She giggled again, hands on her cheeks as she turned her head left and right. Her eyes were closed, and she was blushing. All in all, she was acting like a completely different person.

Judai looked at her, unsure what was going on. "Huh?"

Asuka giggled again. "No, no, you're just too much. I'm totally flattered." And another giggle.

Judai stared at her for a long while before finally asking, "What are you doing...?"

In response, she giggled yet again. "Well, that sure was pleasant," she said. "Thanks, sweetie. That totally made my day."

She walked off, still giggling and leaving Judai too confused to be depressed.

"...What?"

_"__Now why didn't I think of that?"_ Yubel wondered.

"Think of what?" he asked nervously. _What's going on?_


	11. A Way to Relate

**A/N: New chapter! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX or Yugioh 5D's.**

* * *

Yusei knocked on Jack's door, hoping he'd answer. "Jack? I need a word of advice."

Jack opened the door and asked, "What?"

"What do you do when you're basically a magnet for trouble, and it's upsetting your girlfriend? I mean, I know you don't have a girlfriend or anything, but you are a magnet for trouble."

"Don't ask _me,_" Jack said, crossing his arms. "I just take it as it comes, and I highly doubt that will solve your dating problems with Aki. Try asking Crow. He's better with troubleshooting problems."

"I had a feeling he'd say that...," Yusei muttered. To Jack, he said, "Well, thanks anyway, Jack."

He left to find Crow, hoping he'd be able to help him out somehow.

* * *

Meanwhile, Asuka had found Sho moping in Judai's room. She told him that she had a plan that may work to make Judai feel better—or at least forget how miserable he was—and explained it, and Sho had jumped up and run out to get Manjoume, saying he was going to develop his character afterward. Now Asuka and Manjoume were in Judai's room, talking about her plan.

She started by telling him what she felt was upsetting Judai so much—all the reminders of the past.

"So, let me get this straight," Manjoume said, holding up a hand. "Me making fun of him's hurting him severely because he misses it?" There were so many things wrong with that, but he chose to focus on the biggest one. "Geez! You'd think that would make him happy, getting to relive the good old days! He really _is_ an idiot."

"I know what you mean, but he doesn't want to relive it for some reason," Asuka said. "So, maybe, we can cheer him up some by acting different."

Manjoume shrugged. "It's worth a try, I guess."

The door opened, and Judai entered. He stopped and stared, seeing the two people in his room.

"...Crap...," he muttered.

Asuka stared at him for a moment, slightly startled, before giggling. "Hey, sweetie! How are you?" she said, bubbly.

Judai stared at her in confusion for a few seconds before asking, "Who are you, and what have you done with Asuka?"

Manjoume got in on the act with, "Aw, dude. Don't you recognize us? Take a chill pill. We're cool." He looked at Asuka and added, "Right, babe?"

Asuka giggled again. "Aw, come on. You're all too much."

She wasn't about to show more favor toward any guy than the others—Judai had loved her, and she'd married Manjoume. Maybe she could soften the blows from others flirting with her by just loving any positive attention.

Judai stared at the ebony-haired duelist. He hadn't sounded anything like Manjoume, so calm and laid back. It was disturbing. What was worse was that word: babe.

"Don't ever say that word again, weirdo," he said, still staring.

"Dude, relax," Manjoume said, still too laid back to be him. "Your aura's way too depressing."

Judai just stared, totally lost.

"Hi, y'all!" Sho said, entering the room. "How ya doin'!?"

"...They're sick, that's how they're doing..."

Hidden in the wall, the spirit was laughing his ass off. Asuka's idea to act like different people so they wouldn't remind him of the past was funny enough in and of itself when you saw how those three were acting, but Judai's reaction was the icing on the cake. The spirit just couldn't contain himself.

"Hey! That's so mean! Take it back!" Asuka said in that very odd manner, glaring at him and looking downright insulted.

"Aw, chillax, babe," Manjoume said. "We still think you're luscious." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder as he spoke.

Asuka giggled again, saying, "Gee, thanks."

"Yup, one of the finest wild flowers I ever did see, right partner?" Sho said, reminding Judai inexplicably of a cowboy in American westerns—he could just see him tipping his hat.

"You're all just so sweet!" Asuka exclaimed, hands on cheeks. "You're making me blush."

Judai stared at them for a moment, then looked around for the hidden camera, wondering when he'd gotten stuck on some weird game show. The weirdos laughed.

"I'm sorry, partner," Sho said. "Are we in yer room?"

"...Uh..."

"Oh, that's okay! We can go someplace else!" She giggled for the umpteenth time. "Come on, Honey-bunch. You too, Babe," she said to the other two. "Let's give my Sweetie-pie some privacy, 'kay?" She gave a playful wink.

"Yeah, sure. This place is so unchill. Let's go someplace with, like, better karma."

_Okay, that's it. I'm writing a list of words Manjoume's never allowed to say. Ever,_ Judai thought.

"Wait fer me, partner!" Sho called, following the other two out of the room.

Judai watched them go. "...What the hell are they on...?"

Drugs. That had to be it. But what kind of drugs?

_"__You okay, sweetheart?"_ Yubel asked in a motherly tone.

"Oh, no. Not you, too!" Judai exclaimed, worried now.

The spirit just couldn't stop laughing if he tried now—these guys were just too funny.

A hyperactive furball appeared, bouncing up and down. _"Kuri, kuri, kuri!?"_

Translation: "What's wrong, what's wrong, what's wrong, partner!?"

_"__No!"_ the spirit exclaimed, laughing. _"Stop! You're all just too much!"_

He kept laughing, along with his friend who was especially amused by Winged Kuriboh's behavior.

Judai stared at the Kuriboh, wide-eyed. "Is anyone on this thing sane?"

* * *

According to Crow's watch, it was 10:46. That was why he was getting ready for bed. And why a knock at his door was such a surprise.

"Hey, Crow?" he heard Yusei ask from the other side. "You still up?"

"Yeah, I'm up," he answered.

"Great. You got a minute?"

"I think I could spare you one. Why? What's up?" he asked, his door still shut as he pulled on his pants.

"It's Aki," Yusei responded. "She just broke up with me because of this recent run of bad luck I've been having. Like I told Jack, I know you don't have a girlfriend, but you're good at finding trouble, so I was wondering if you had any advice on getting rid of it."

Crow opened the door. "Hmm. I don't know what to tell ya, pal," he said. "Maybe there's a reason for all this?"

At that moment, Judai headed past, looking disturbed.

_"__You know, sweetie, maybe you should just go to bed. A late-night snack will only give you nightmares,"_ Yubel said in her motherly tone.

"...Are you feeling okay, Yubel?" Judai asked.

Crow watched the brunette walk off as an idea hit him.

"Yusei, how exactly did Aki break up with you?" he asked.

"She basically told me in her own words that she was tired of it all and didn't want to see me until I fixed it."

"Hmm." He stared after Judai. "You don't think...?" Shaking his head, he said, "Nah. Forget it."

"What?" Yusei asked.

Crow looked after Judai again. "...He just turned 18 back then, didn't he?"

Yusei shrugged. "Don't know. He never said. Why?"

"Well, didn't all this start happening right after you turned 18?"

"Yes," Yusei said. "What are you suggesting?"

"Well, let's see, Judai had a girlfriend right before that happened, but, thanks to it, he lost her," Crow explained. "Your problems didn't start until you reached his age, so what if they're connected?"

"Crow, that's crazy," Yusei told him. "But you may be right."

He thought about it for a bit—so far, every event in his life seemed tied to something bigger. Stardust Dragon was his, making him a Signer, which meant he was connected to Aki, Ruka, and even Godwin before they had even met. Then there was Zero Reverse, which was connected to a man trying to change the future. Once they had dealt with that, he and Aki had started dating, and his luck had plummeted.

Could that be it? Had Judai gone through something similar? That incident he mentioned with Yubel seemed like the sort of life-shattering event that Zero Reverse had been for many people in his time. Maybe this rotten luck of his was giving him a way to relate to his friend, to understand and help him through.

"Hmm. Maybe I should talk to him." He turned to leave, adding, "Thanks, Crow."

"No problem, buddy," Crow said. "Good luck with that!"

Crow headed back into his room and went to bed, while Yusei went to see Judai.

* * *

There was a knock on Judai's door, but he didn't hear. Really, you couldn't blame him with his new "mother" singing a lullaby while the hyper fuzzball literally bounced off the walls. Judai wasn't sure what was wrong with Yubel, but he was wondering how long this new disease would take to start affecting him and whether it would kill him and how long he'd be dead for this time if it did.

"What is wrong with you two!? Is _everyone _going crazy!?" As Winged Kuriboh whizzed past his head, he added, "Winged Kuriboh, settle down!"

"Judai? Are you okay in there?" Yusei called from outside.

"Huh? Yusei?" Judai opened the door, sweating. "Uh, yeah, I think so..."

Winged Kuriboh shot out the open door and down the hall, looking crazed. Yusei looked slightly startled as he ducked to avoid being whacked in the head by it.

Judai watched it bounce down the hall, sweating some more. "Though everyone I know is going insane..."

"What's going on?" Yusei asked.

"Heck if I know," Judai said. "But I think Asuka may be carrying some contagious disease or something."

Yusei stared at him a minute. Then, recovering, he asked, "Uh, anyway, have you got a minute?"

"Sure, what's up?" Judai said, stepping aside so Yusei could enter.

_"__Now, Judai, you know bedtime's at 11,"_ Yubel chided in his head. _"You can play with your little friend tomorrow. Right now, you need your rest, okay?"_

"Let's...close the door first," Yusei said, pulling the door closed behind him. "It's kinda private, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Judai answered. To Yubel, he ordered, _Shut up, "Mom!"_

_"__That's no way to talk to your mother, young man. Do I need to get some soap for that mouth of yours?"_

While Judai sat down on his bed, fuming over that, Yusei said, "Now, listen. I know you're not gonna like this, but I want to hear a bit of your past. What happened when Asuka dumped you? And why'd she do it?"

"Huh?" Judai blinked and looked at Yusei. "Sorry, I was just trying to figure out how my mom's gonna wash my mouth out with soap when she DOESN'T HAVE SOLID HANDS!" He glared off to the side as he finished.

_"__Don't go raising your voice at me, young man! Keep it up, and I'll send your friend home."_

"Judai," Yusei said. "This is important."

"What?" Judai asked, trying to direct his attention away from his new mom.

"It's about Asuka. How did she dump you, and why?"

Judai paled. Yusei sat down beside him.

"Look, I know you don't want to talk about it, but I need to know," Yusei told him. "Please?"

"...Why?"

"I'll tell you if you tell me, okay?"

Judai looked down and said, "She...she asked me, one day, why I didn't seem to be aging at all. When I told her, she...she said we couldn't be friends anymore, for now, and told me never to visit her again... And she wouldn't answer if I called..."

_Aki just said something like that to me. Looks like Crow was right,_ Yusei thought. "I'm sorry, pal. That must have been rough on you."

Judai just kept staring at the floor.

"Aki and I have been having some similar problems," Yusei told him.

"I figured as much... Kinda saw it earlier today," Judai said apologetically.

"See, ever since I turned 18 and we started dating, none of them have turned out as we planned. Every time I try to get ready, Jack breaks something or a disaster strikes in town. Every time I pick her up, Crow gets into trouble or there's a problem at the lab. And every time we go anywhere, usually before we're halfway there, someone we know gets attacked or there's a riot going on. By that point, we've always decided it was hopeless and gave up to try again next time. Well, Aki's been growing more and more tired of it. I guess she's finally had enough. I don't know what to do."

"...I don't know what to tell you," Judai said quietly.

"It sounds like we've both been through the same thing there, doesn't it?" Yusei asked.

Judai looked at him and asked, "Where are you going with this?"

"I don't know. I just found it interesting, that's all. That two guys can have similar problems? But, hey, maybe there's still a way to fix them?"

Judai just stared, waiting for Yusei to elaborate on that one.

"I know what needs to be done with Aki," Yusei said. "I need to sit her down and have a serious talk with her about it, and hopefully she'll understand. After that, well, I'll just keep trying. My back luck's bound to change someday, right? Who knows, maybe that's what you should do, too."

"...My 'bad luck' isn't going anywhere, Yusei. And why would I try that now when, in the future, she's gonna meet a younger version of me?" he asked, thinking that dating Asuka was the stupidest thing he could ever attempt at this point. "Honestly, I'm still trying to figure out how all of this is gonna eff up my life."

"Judai, your bad luck's already changing," Yusei assured him. "Just look at where you are. You've been transported back in time and are currently on a spaceship heading for somewhere that could change everything. As for your friends, I think we can work around all the complicated parts. For all we know, there's a reason they're here."

"Such as?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's because you miss them. Maybe, when you last saw those three, there were things left undone. It might even be because you need their help with this, so fate guided you to them. It's hard to say, really."

Judai looked away, thinking of the obvious regrets and things left undone with Asuka and Manjoume. Though he couldn't really figure out why Sho would have to be there. Unless it was because of... No! He wasn't going to think about that, damn it!

Yusei looked at Judai questioningly.

"Well, with Asuka, it was never telling her how I felt," Judai said to himself. "With Manjoume, it's the whole 'marrying Asuka' thing... And Sho..."

He tried to think of why he'd be there, but he stopped himself again. Those memories, the ones he was reaching for, were locked away for a reason—they were the most painful ones he had, and that day Asuka had abandoned him and the day he'd found out she was engaged had to go back to being there, locked away where they couldn't hurt him anymore.

"So at least two are here because of things you regret?" Yusei asked.

"...Yeah..."

"Then maybe this is fate's way of giving you a second chance. Maybe now's the time to mend some fences and finish what you started. Maybe that's why we're all here, actually. To help you do that."

"...Maybe..."

Yusei got up, saying, "Well, good night, pal. Sorry I bothered you." With that, he left, shutting the door behind him.

_"__You know, that guy's pretty smart,"_ Yubel said, sounding like herself again. _"Could he be right, I wonder?"_

"Hey, what do you know? You're sounding like yourself again," Judai said.

Yubel froze. _"Uh, I mean..."_ She sweat.

"No, please, keep it up. I actually prefer _you_ over Mother Yubel," Judai teased.

_"__Ha ha. Very funny."_ She smiled, then said, _"No, really, that was great! Glad to see you joking around again!"_

Judai grinned at her. Winged Kuriboh peeked in, looking hopeful. _"Kuri?"_

Judai looked at it, then carefully, like he was dealing with a bomb, he stood up, arms raised slightly, and said, "Hey... You calmed down any yet?"

Winged Kuriboh teared up—Judai didn't look depressed just then. The duel spirit charged him, overjoyed.

_"__Kuriii!"_

"Whoa!" Judai said, barely staying on his feet as the spirit crashed into him. Then he laughed once, smiling.

It was such a small thing, but it filled Yubel and Winged Kuriboh with so much joy that they started goofing off, acting more like they had when he had actually felt like goofing around with them.

That's when Judai realized what everyone was doing—they were trying to make him feel better. Apparently they thought acting like people they weren't would help.

_Oh, man, I've gotta talk to those other three in the morning,_ he thought as he played with the excited duel spirits.

The two kept him up until midnight, when he decided that the "party" had to end if he was going to wake up before noon tomorrow.

"Okay, okay, I think it's about time I get to bed, guys," he told them.

_"__Okay...," _Yubel said. She sounded whiny, though, like a little kid being told to go to bed when they didn't want to.

Winged Kuriboh sounded the same. _"Kurii..."_

Judai laughed. An actual laugh. Not a false one or just a single noise, but a real laugh.

That did it—the spirits _really_ didn't want to go bed after that. They weren't telling him, but they wanted to enjoy him as much as possible before he was gone for good and replaced with the new, depressed Judai. Their faces said it all: "Aw, do you have to?"

They pouted, looking at him longingly. If it was just Winged Kuriboh, Judai may have just brushed it off, but Yubel was doing it, too.

"...Wow, have I really been _that_ bad?" Judai asked.

Yubel nodded sadly.

Winged Kuriboh looked down. _"Kurii..."_

"...I'm sorry. I'll try not to...act like that anymore." Silently, he added, _Better to just put the past where it belongs...behind me._

The two hoped he could keep that promise, but, again, they didn't say. They just nodded and disappeared, letting him go to bed.

The green-eyed spirit, watching this, was trying hard not to cry. It had been 2000 years since he'd seen Judai smile and have fun like that, after all.

_"__Welcome back, pal,"_ he whispered.

A single tear, a single sob, escaped the spirit as he watched his old friend climb into bed.


	12. Remembering the Death of a Friendship

**A/N: Well, here's the next chapter! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX or Yugioh 5D's.**

* * *

When Sho went to breakfast in the morning, he immediately started acting when he saw Judai sitting at the table.

"Morning, y'all!" he said in his fake accent. "How ya doin'?"

"Sho, cut that out," Judai said.

"I reckon I don't know what yer talkin' about, partner. I'm—"

"Acting like that to make me feel better, but you don't have to," Judai cut him off. "I'm fine. Okay?"

"W-what are you talking about?" Asuka asked, sweating. "Th-there's nothing like that going on! Honest!"

"Oh, yes, there is! And it's not just you guys. Yubel and Winged Kuriboh got in on it, too. Look, I'm okay. You don't have to pretend you're a cowboy, or Rei, or whatever the heck _you_ were doing, Manjoume. I'm fine."

"Rei? Who's Rei?" Asuka asked.

Judai sweat. "Uh, forget I said that, 'kay?"

Asuka stared at him in confusion, wondering if this was another person they would meet in the future.

"So what the hell _were_ they doing?" Jack asked. "When I saw them last night, they were writing up character bios. Was that really all your doing?"

Asuka, Sho, and Manjoume sweat, followed shortly after by Judai.

"Heh," he laughed. "Yeah, that was probably my fault... Funny thing is, I can't imagine Manjoume doing it, but I have no doubt that Sho would."

Manjoume humphed. "Blame Asuka. _She_ made me do it."

Asuka sweat again.

Judai grinned. "Yeah, that makes sense, too." He rubbed the back of his head, saying, "Sorry you guys had to do that for me... But I'm fine now, I promise."

That one move, rubbing his head like that, hit the three hard.

"Judai! You're back!" Asuka said. _I think..._

"You idiot!" Manjoume snapped. "Stop doing that! You're making me _feel_!"

"Anikiii!" Sho cried, hugging him.

Judai laughed a bit.

The future kids were stunned—this was a drastic change. Most of them had never seen Judai like this before.

"Wow...," Aki said.

Crow looked at Yusei. "Yusei? Is that _your_ doing?"

All but Judai looked at him, stunned.

He shrugged. "Maybe. Ask him."

Everyone turned back to Judai in disbelief. Sho let go and looked at him.

Judai glanced off to the side, saying, "I...can't keep letting what happened in the past get me down all the time. I mean, I should be grateful for the time I've had with the people I care about, right?"

All but Yusei stared at him, stunned.

Yusei smiled. "Glad to hear it."

Judai smiled back at him.

"...Okay, then," Asuka said. "I still don't get where all of this came from, but I'll go with it..."

"Yusei. You've got some explaining to do, you know?" Aki said, glaring at him slightly.

"I know," he said. "Can we take this someplace more private, though?"

He got up and walked her off to talk.

Yubel smiled. _"So, I take it what he said last night got through to you?" _she asked.

Judai thought about it before answering, _I don't know if it was him or you guys, honestly._

_"__W-what!?"_

_You guys were so thrilled to have me joking around with you... I guess I just needed someone to snap me out of it._

Yubel thought about this for a moment before asking, _"So it had nothing to do with Yusei telling you your luck was changing?"_

_Like I said, I don't know who it was... I mean, I was just glad you weren't acting like my mother anymore. And then you were happy about how I was acting, and..._

_"__Judai. Is this just an act?"_ she asked, concerned.

_I...I don't know,_ he admitted. _I mean, I _am_ feeling better right now...though I can't say how long that'll last..._

Yubel looked at him sadly. _"__Judai..."_

_I'm fine, Yubel. Really._

_"__If you say so..."_

"So, does this mean that you're okay being with us now?" Asuka asked. "Because yesterday...well..."

Judai nodded, smiling. "Yeah."

Sho teared up, but he wasn't entirely sure why. "Anikiii!" he cried, hugging his friend again.

Manjoume humphed. "Glad to hear it. I _hate_ acting like an idiot."

"Yeah, that definitely didn't suit you at all, Manjoume. You'd be better acting as a robot!" Judai teased, grinning broadly.

"Hey! Who you calling a robot!? I'm not _that_ bad!"

Judai just laughed.

"I see what Yusei meant when he said the guy and Rua were almost twins," Crow said.

Eyes closed and arms crossed, Jack nodded.

The smell of food filled the air, albeit space-food. Judai's stomach growled.

"Great," Jack said. "Everyone stand back!"

Asuka, Sho, and Manjoume looked at him and asked, "Huh? Why?"

"Because it's breakfast time," Jack answered.

"Huh?" the three asked.

Their questions were answered soon enough. When Judai saw food, he scarfed it down. Apparently it didn't matter that it was space-food. Jack knew Judai would be scarfing it down, regardless of what the food was like.

Asuka stared for a minute before asking, "Why does that look so familiar...?"

"I suddenly have a craving for fried shrimp...," Sho said.

"I feel out of place!" Manjoume freaked. "_Really_ out of place! Why on _earth_ am I thinking of the Red cafeteria at Duel Academy Island!? I've never even _been_ to Duel Academy Island! Let alone in _that_ dorm!"

"Huh? Why not?" Sho asked.

"Calm down," Asuka said, trying to soothe Manjoume. "I'm sure there's a logical explanation."

"Yeah! I'm losing my mind!"

Judai looked at them and asked, "Somebody say 'fried shrimp?'"

Everyone stared. That stopped Manjoume dead in his tracks.

_"__Come on, pal!"_ the spirit teased from above, grinning. _"Get your head out of the clouds already!"_

_Man, I really missed the goofy, carefree, shrimp-loving Judai,_ the spirit thought, enjoying every minute of this behavior.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," Aki said as Yusei finished up. "You think all your bad luck was going on just so you'd have something in common with Judai?"

"Yeah," he answered as they walked along. "And, since we just took an undisturbed 10-minute walk together, I'm pretty sure talking to him ended it."

"I see. And what if you're wrong? What if, in the next five minutes, our spaceship gets pulled off-course by a nearby black hole or something?" she asked, glaring at him.

"I don't think we have to worry about that, either, Aki," Yusei answered. "Ever since talking to Judai yesterday, I've been feeling a bit better. It's like all the weight of the world's just been lifted off my shoulders. And I believe that means that, by helping him, I proved to him that I understand him. That I know what he's going through and that I'm here for him. I'm sure that's what our problem's been about. Judai needed a friend to relate to, so I was chosen for that."

"Okay, Yusei. We'll try one more time," Aki conceded. "But one more date like _that_, and it's over, understand?"

Yusei nodded and held out a hand. Aki stared at it for a minute before smiling and taking it.

"Good," Yusei said. "Now let's get back in there before all the food's gone." He grinned, thinking of why that might be a problem.

Aki smiled, and they headed back to the cafeteria, hoping Rua's long-lost twin brother knew how to share.

* * *

That night, after having left Judai alone for the entire day to be safe, Sho turned up at Judai's room with one question in mind.

"Aniki? Can I, uh..."

Judai knew what he was asking—the same question as yesterday: could he share a room with Judai? The brunette took a moment to answer, deciding whether he could handle that.

"Yeah, sure, Sho," he said after a moment.

"Wha!? Really!?" Sho asked, startled. "But I thought..."

"It's cool, Sho. I kinda miss rooming with you," Judai said with a smile.

Sho teared up again. "Anikiii..."

He hugged him, crying. Judai just laughed.

"Aniki!" Sho cried, still clinging to Judai. "Thank you! I thought for sure you'd hate the idea! I may not know why, but I love being with you! It doesn't feel right for us to be apart! Aniki!"

Judai hugged him back. "No surprise there. You're the one who threw a party the first time I..."

He trailed off, not wanting to upset Sho by mentioning his own death.

"Aniki..." Sho sobbed a little.

The spirit watched proudly. _"And here I though that bringing them here was a bad idea. Way to go, Asuka! You're a genius!"_

His friend nodded its agreement.

* * *

Two days later, the ship arrived at the space ark. The gang gathered to look at the...massive...object.

"Wow... It's huge...," Sho said, staring in awe.

"So that's a space ark, huh?" Asuka asked.

"It reminds me of when that Ark Cradle thing was threatening to crush us," Crow said.

Judai started, looking at Crow, then looked away, saying, "Dang I've missed a lot. Even being there..."

He thought about future events of which he had no knowledge until after the fact. Zero Reverse, for instance.

"What!?" Sho asked.

"Let's just say, some lunatic from the future was trying to destroy our hometown," Yusei explained. "We stopped them, though. Right, guys?"

Jack nodded, his arms crossed. Crow gave a wink and a thumbs up.

"That's right, bro! We sure did!"

"Right," Aki said. "Though that was close. We almost lost you, Yusei."

"True. But you didn't," he said. "Thanks to Bruno and Z-One, that is."

Yusei and Aki lowered their heads. Crow rubbed the back of his head sadly. Jack turned away.

Sho looked at them, wondering what was going on.

_Lunatic from the future? Again?_ Judai wondered. He looked at Yusei, the question written clearly on his face.

"Yeah. I know," Yusei said. "Turns out they were related, too. Bruno turned out to be one of them, even. But he was on our side, at least."

"Seriously?" Judai said. "Huh."

"Attention," the pilot said. "We will be landing at KaibaCorp 365 very shortly. All personnel, prepare for landing."

"It won't be long now," Yusei said.

"We better get our things ready," Aki said.

They all headed off to their rooms to pack up their things and get ready to enter the space ark.

* * *

"So, once we get in there, any ideas on how to find that card?" Sho asked as he and Judai walked along to their room.

"Not a one," Judai answered. "All I know is that it's in a capsule orbiting the earth."

"Then if that's true, what if we _can't_ find it in time? Do you have a backup plan?"

"...No."

"Then what will you do?"

Judai shrugged. "I don't know. Go back to my own time and hang with Yusei and the others until they're gone?"

It wasn't an appealing option, but it was the only one he had if this failed.

"Then what?" Sho asked, worried.

"...How about we stop thinking about the future?" Judai suggested. "If there's one thing I've learned from all this, it's that the past is better left in the past, and the future should be ignored until it comes."

Sho was quiet a moment. "Okay," he said at last.

Judai sighed. "Sorry."

"Huh? Why? I'm the one being nosy."

They stopped outside of their door as Judai said, "Because...I don't know."

"Attention. In less than five minutes, we'll be landing," the pilot's voice came over the intercom. "At this time, please return to your rooms or have a seat somewhere secure. That is all."

Sho stared at the ceiling a moment. "I get the feeling it's gonna be a rough landing and we should brace ourselves...," he said, sweating.

"...Yeah...," Judai said, thinking of the takeoff. "I need earplugs..."

"H-hey! I highly doubt it's gonna be _that_ bad!"

"Sho, at takeoff, you screamed so loud that Crow couldn't hear clearly for a couple hours."

"But that was _takeoff_! This is a landing! It _can't_ be as bad!" Pouting, Sho muttered, "It's not like we're going through the atmosphere again."

"...Right, but, just to be safe, why don't you and me just stay in our room?" Judai suggested. _That way, only _one_ person has to go deaf..._

Sho humphed, clearly insulted.

* * *

Sho was right—the landing wasn't so bad. He didn't scream at all.

"I _told_ you it wouldn't be too bad!" Sho told Judai.

"Better safe than sorry, Sho."

He humphed again.

From outside their room, Yusei called, "Hey! You guys about ready in there? We've landed at the ark and are getting ready to head out."

"Yeah, we're all set here!" Judai called.

"SORRY! I DIDN'T _HEAR_ THAT, ANIKI! CAN YOU _SPEAK UP_!?" Sho bellowed, annoyed.

"What!?" Yusei called, sounding a bit worried.

Judai sweat. "Don't worry about it, Yusei!"

"I'M SORRY! YOU'LL HAVE TO _SPEAK UP_ IF YOU WANT TO BE _HEARD_ AFTER ALL THE _SCREAMING_ I JUST DID!"

In the hall, Yusei stood there in absolute confusion. _What am I hearing?_ he wondered.

"Alright, I'm sorry, Sho!" Judai said, exasperated.

Sho humphed again.

Yusei was silent another moment before saying, "Well, when you're ready, just come meet us at the exit. We'll be waiting."

"Yeah, okay," Judai said.

* * *

When Sho and Judai joined the others, Asuka asked, "Judai? What was all the noise a minute ago about? Is Sho okay?"

"Because it sounded like he went deaf or something," Aki added.

Judai sweat. "He's fine... Just mad at me..."

"Why's that?" Asuka asked.

Manjoume smirked. "And here I thought you two never fought," he said.

"Oh, no, we fight all the time," Judai said. "There was the time I ate his fried shrimp, that time in Dark World, that one time when he was so psyched about me coming back from the dead and I said that wasn't a good thing..."

Too far—he'd said too much. That memory he'd been holding at bay, the one he wanted to remember as much as the other two, maybe less, was resurfacing, and he couldn't bury it again in time.

* * *

**He was fighting some psychopath who had brought duel monsters to life. Currently, the guy was trying to use a bunch of fairies to take over the world—weak fairies, like Watapon, Mokey Mokey... This was going to be a piece of cake!**

**The maniac laughed. "That's it, my pets!" he said as the fairies flew around. "Show these fools what you're made of! Attack!"**

_"__**Mokey!"**_

_"__**Eep!"**_

_"__**Kurii!"**_

**Oh...he had a Winged Kuriboh... Nope, Judai wasn't gonna let that stand.**

_"__**Wow,"**_** Yubel said. **_**"Who the heck's dumb enough to attack with those wimps? Real or not, that's never gonna work."**_

"**Yeah. Should count ourselves lucky that this one won't be too tough," Judai said.**

**A Key Mace charged at him, aiming to attack. He looked at it lamely, then summoned Elemental Hero Neos. Overkill, but why the hell not?**

**Neos watched with a lame look as the simple fairy jabbed him in the chest with its itty bitty key before he flicked it off.**

_"__**Yeeek!"**_** the fairy cried as it was flung backward.**

"**What was that!?" the lunatic demanded, glaring at Judai. "How **_**dare**_** you attack my precious angels! Do you really think you stand a chance against **_**me**_**!?"**

**Judai rolled his eyes. "Uh, yeah!"**

"**Then you leave me no choice! Fairy army! Attack that fool!"**

**All of the weak fairies responded, even some Ojamas.**

"**Oh, brother...," Judai sighed. "What a pain..."**

**He would have summoned some other monsters to help Neos out...if the enemy monsters weren't coming at Neos one-by-one. They were literally attacking one at a time, so Neos just punched each individual monster.**

"**You think you're so smart, don't you!?" the idiotic villain said as Neos wiped out the last of his monsters. "Using such dirty tricks as those! But you haven't won just yet, boy!"**

"**What dirty tricks? You just suck at commanding an army!"**

"**I've had it with your sassy attitude! It's time I call upon my ultimate soldier!"**

**Judai got ready for another wimpy monster, maybe this time with 1000 attack points. However, that wasn't what the guy called.**

"**Come forth, Tualatin!" the villain called.**

**A big white angel appeared, with red eyes and gold trim. Judai didn't even have time to react before it had wiped out Neos and aimed for him.**

**The lunatic laughed maniacally. "This is the end of you! Finish him, my pet!"**

**The monster did as it was commanded, firing a beam of light at Judai. The attack hit him with enough force to kill him, and it looked as if the attack had burned his body to ash.**

**Sho, age 45, arrived on the scene, hoping to help. He was just in time to see Judai getting attacked by Tualatin.**

"**Aniki! NOOOOO!"**

**The villain laughed again. "Now no one can stop me! I'm—"**

"**Cyber End Dragon!" Sho cut him off. "WIPE HIM OUT!"**

**The three-headed metal dragon fired at the fairy, destroying it in one blast.**

"**W-what!? Bu-but that's impossible!" the villain cried. "NOOO!"**

**A couple of police officers ran over, putting the guy in handcuffs.**

"_**That**_** one's for Aniki!"**

"**You, sir, have the right to remain silent," one of the officers said.**

**Sho fell to his knees, crying. "Aniki..."**

**He was still there in the morning, sleeping on the sidewalk, when Judai reappeared.**

**_"_**_**What happened?"**_** Yubel asked, looking around in confusion. **_**"Where'd that guy go? Did someone defeat him, I hope?"**_

**Judai was fighting back horror—up to this point, he had been holding onto the hope that he could die in some way or other. He pinched himself.**

"**...Why am I still alive...?" he asked, looking at himself in horror. "How am I still alive...?"**

_"__**Don't look at me. That was one powerful blast, though."**_** She looked at the horizon and said, **_**"Hey, look. The sun's rising."**_

**Judai looked, wondering how long it had been this time.**

**A moan drew Judai's attention to a blue-haired man sleeping on the sidewalk. He turned, startled to see that. Well, at least that answered his question: It probably hadn't even been a day.**

"**Sho?"**

**He walked over and shook his friend a bit, trying to wake him. "Sho? Hey, wake up."**

"**Aniki... I...miss..."**

**Sho opened his eyes and looked around. "Huh? Where?"**

"**I don't know **_**why**_**, but you're sleeping outside, pal," Judai told him.**

**Sho looked at him in disbelief. "Aniki? But I thought..."**

"**Apparently I come back, no matter how many times I die," Judai said, upset by this new realization.**

**Sho teared up, looking...happy?**

"**Anikiii! You're alive! You're really alive! I'm so glad!" He hugged the immortal teen.**

**Judai hadn't expected that sort of reaction. "Wha!? Sho! I can't die!"**

"**I know! Meaning you can't get killed in battle! I don't have to worry anymore! Aniki!"**

"**Sho! This isn't a good thing!"**

**Sho pulled back and looked at him in confusion. "Huh? But why?"**

"**I can't die, and I'm not aging! Sho! I'm gonna be around until the end of time!"**

"**But that **_**is**_** a good thing!" Sho insisted. "Do you know how many people dream of immortality!? You're so lucky, Aniki!"**

"**Are you kidding me!?"****Judai exclaimed, outraged that Sho could think there was anything good about this situation. "Do you have **_**any**_** idea how much**_** dying**_** like that **_**hurts**_**!? Not to mention, **_**you**_** guys are all still **_**normal**_**!"**

"**Yeah! Which means we get to have arthritis!" Sho countered. "We get ugly wrinkles! Memory loss! Hearing, too! We turn into mere shadows of our former selves, wishing we were young again! But you!? **_**You**_** never have to worry about all that! Of **_**course**_** you're the lucky one! You'll even get to see the future! No fair!"**

**Sho had always wanted to see the future. Judai knew that, but still, this was that day with Asuka all over again—he needed comfort, and all he was getting was shit.**

"**Wanna trade places? It's not as great as you think it is, Sho."**

"**Sure it is! I just threw my back out for the first time yesterday! Do **_**you**_** have any idea how much **_**that**_** hurts!? I don't think so!"**

"**I highly doubt it hurts as much as a **_**violent death**_**, Sho!" Judai snapped.**

"**Well, does it hurt now?"**

"**No, but—"**

"**Well, my back does!" Sho cut him off. "I have to see a chiropractor to make **_**it**_** stop! **_**That's **_**why you're lucky! Get injured!? Kill yourself and, boom! Instant fix! That's **_**way**_** better than **_**endless**_** pain! Get it now!?"**

"**I don't think you get it, Sho. Just 'cause it might go away faster doesn't mean it's any better!"**

"**Look, you're overreacting. It's not **_**that**_** big a deal. Why do you think people like Kagemaru do what they do? Why do we search for the Fountain of **_**Youth**_**? The **_**Holy**_** Grail? Because we all want what you have. Everyone's jealous of people like you."**

"**I don't **_**want**_** this!" Judai cried. "Why can't you see that!?"**

"**Why can't **_**you**_** see that you **_**should**_**!?"**

"**YOU'RE WRONG!" Judai bellowed, tears burning in his eyes.**

**Johan came running over. "What's all the yelling for, guys!?"**

**Sho turned away with a humph. "Fine, Judai. If you're too dense to see how great you have it, then fine. Be that way. Just don't bother **_**me**_** about it anymore."**

**He stormed off, leaving Judai with an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach. First he lost Asuka because of this when she put her own feelings ahead of his, now he'd just had a fight with Sho over immortality that may have just ended with the loss of a friend.**

**Johan stared after Sho before turning to Judai and asking, "What just happened?"**

"**...I got killed violently, and Sho's telling me how great immortality is..."**

**Judai could still feel the tears burning in his eyes.**

"**What!?" Johan exclaimed. "You died again? Then why are you still here!?"**

"**Because I'm immortal," Judai answered. "Why else would Sho mention the 'awesomeness' of immortality?"**

"**And you're fighting...why?"**

"**Because it's not that great, Johan!" Judai snapped, anger in his voice as the tears still burned in his eyes.**

**Johan backed up, holding up his hands. "Whoa! Hey! I never said it was! I just asked why it started that fight! No need to bite my head off!" He walked over and put his hands on Judai's shoulders. "It'll be okay, pal. Maybe you still have something to look forward to."**

**Judai looked down, thinking about Yusei. He was from the future, so he wasn't around just yet. This could be his chance to duel his not-yet-friend...**

"**So, you gonna be okay, pal?" Johan asked.**

"**Yeah," he answered. "Yeah, as long as I don't have **_**that**_** conversation with Sho ever again..."**

* * *

Judai shook his head, desperately wanting to drive that memory away—it was definitely one of his worst, either first or second. He couldn't decide if it was worse than Asuka saying they couldn't be friends or not. After all, that was the last day Sho called him "Aniki." At least, until he died and finally realized just how miserable Judai was with this situation. It was the day he lost his best friend, the day Johan truly replaced Sho in that role. Even though Judai eventually apologized and pretended he thought it was great being immortal, Sho never quite forgave him—and Judai knew that he never forgave Sho, either.

"Judai?" Asuka asked, drawing him away from his thoughts. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he lied. "I'm okay."

Manjoume stared at him a minute before saying, "Okay. I don't wanna know, do I?"

Judai shook his head. "No. Let's not talk about it anymore. _I_ didn't even want to know." Muttering, he amended, "Or, rather, remember..."

"Well, anyway, let's go," Yusei said. "Time to locate Yubel."

Judai nodded, now more desperate to find that card and fix things. Without further ado, the gang left the shuttle, entering KaibaCorp 365.


	13. Space Ark

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX or Yugioh 5D's.**

* * *

When they stepped off the shuttle, they were met by a man in a white lab coat. He had short red hair and green eyes. "Greetings, young travelers," he said. "We've been expecting you. My name is Professor Lee. And I'm in charge around here. Won't you all please follow me?"

He led them through the ark to what he told them was the main research lab. There were so many different turns and hallways that most of them were thoroughly lost before they even reached the lab.

"So, Mr. Kaiba has informed us that you're looking for a card we shot up years ago?" Lee said. "One that, if not found, could potentially end the world as we know it?"

"Not potentially," Judai said, aiming to make this more urgent for all involved after that last flashback of his. "It will."

"Don't worry, young man," Lee told him. "We've already located the card's capsule and are tracking it as we speak." He pointed to a huge green radar grid, which had a small yellow dot moving across it slowly. "Unfortunately, it's out of range for now. But its rotation patterns suggest it will circle back around by Saturday. We can retrieve it then."

"And what happens if, instead of circling around, it gets pulled in by the Earth's gravity and crashes?" Yusei asked.

"Well, we'll just have to send out a search party. Hopefully we'll find it then."

Judai thought about the reentry that Yubel had said was so painful and the fact that she claimed, if not for that, she might have been okay. "We can't afford to lose this thing," he said.

"I understand your concerns, but we can't do anything from here. Let's just hope it doesn't come to that and wait."

Judai felt down again—it wouldn't be long before Yubel's capsule crash-landed. If that happened, then this whole mission would have been for nothing.

_"__Judai,"_ Yubel spoke in his mind. _"It's okay. I think it's still a little early for me to crash."_ However, she sounded a bit unsure.

_Are you sure about that? Because you don't sound sure._

She was quiet a moment before shrugging and saying, _"Beats me. Can't exactly tell time in space."_

That wasn't very reassuring.

"Judai? You okay?" Asuka asked.

"Yeah. Fine," he said unconvincingly.

"You don't sound fine," Sho observed.

"I'm fine," he answered quickly.

"Quit lying," Manjoume said. "You're obviously not. So what's wrong now, you idiot?"

Judai stared at the radar apprehensively. "If we don't get that card..."

"We will!" Asuka said, determination on her face.

Judai looked at her. "You're sure about this?" he asked.

"Positive! We've come too far to fail now! We'll get her. No matter what!"

Judai just stared at her, wondering how she could be so sure that they wouldn't fail. Really, anything could go wrong, right?

"T-that's right!" Sho said. "If not now, we can always chase her around the planet until we _do_ get her! Right, guys?"

"If we have to, I guess," Jack said without interest.

"See!?" Sho said. "She's as good as ours now!"

Thinking that Yubel may still be too angry to reason with, Judai said, "I'm not sure it will work if we get her later..."

Asuka looked at him sympathetically. "Judai..." Determined again, she said, "Don't worry. We'll get her before that happens. Trust me."

"I hope..."

Asuka walked over to him, knowing full well what this could do to him, and hugged him. "It's okay, Judai," she said. "It's okay."

He held onto her tight.

Above, the tag-along spirits watched. _"Hmm. What do you think, pal?" _the green-eyed one asked his companion. _"Should we go looking for her?"_

The other shook its head, saying that was a crazy idea. Space was huge, and they might very well get lost forever looking for her. _Him_ especially.

_"__Yeah, yeah,"_ the spirit said, brushing off the insult. _"Then I guess we'll have to do like Sho if they fail. Nothing else we can do, right?"_

His friend nodded, thinking that visiting every so often as spirits was all they would be able to do.

_"__Still, I hope it doesn't come to that. Poor guy."_ He looked back down at his old friend.

* * *

Later, Sho and Judai were exploring the space ark. Honestly, Sho couldn't be more lost if he tried.

"Wow... And I thought the shuttle was huge," he said. "This place almost looks like a small town!" He did a double-take, then said, "Did I just see a kid run by?"

Judai shrugged—it wouldn't be the biggest surprise he'd ever had. "Maybe."

They turned a corner and found the rooms of all those aboard the ark. Sure enough, Sho had been right—he had seen a kid run by. There were more kids than just the one, however. Heck, there seemed to be entire families up here!

"This is crazy! I thought only astronauts lived in space! And only on their spaceships! So what's this place doing up here!?"

"Why are you asking me?" Judai said. "I don't even know when a town real darned close to me's about to explode until it does!"

"You did what now?" Sho asked in disbelief.

"I was...otherwise occupied," Judai answered, not wanting to go into detail.

Sho looked at him questioningly. "Aniki... Are you seriously saying you missed a nearby town blowing up? And why was a town blowing up, anyway? Nuclear bomb attack?"

"Not entirely sure why..." He sweat. "I've been kinda out of it recently..."

There was a moment of silence before Sho asked, "Is it 'cause you're so old?" Silently, he added, _Maybe his mind's been aging. How does immortality work, exactly?_

"No."

Another silence followed, then Sho raised an eyebrow and said, "Why do I think sleeping may be it? I know you're a heavy sleeper, but still..."

Judai raised an eyebrow at him in return. "You think I slept through it?"

Sho shrugged. "I don't know why I do."

Judai stared at him for a few seconds before saying, "Well, I didn't."

"Then what on Earth were you doing that made you miss such a huge event?"

"...Visiting some old friends..."

Sho looked at him, uncomprehending. Judai just looked down sadly.

"...Oh...," Sho said as understanding dawned on him.

"...Yeah..." Judai shook his head, trying to drive away the memories.

An awkward silence followed before Sho decided to change the subject. "So, anyway, about that kid I saw..."

"Judai? Sho?" Asuka asked, running over and looking extremely relieved to see them. "Oh, thank _goodness_ I found you! I've been trying to find something familiar all day!"

"Asuka!" Sho exclaimed.

"So, what's up?" she asked. "You're not lost, too, are you?"

"No, we're not lost," Judai answered.

"Oh, thank goodness. Then perhaps you can tell me where the cafeteria is? I was told it was around Lab 37, but I can't _find_ Lab 37. I've seen restrooms, homes, labs 12 and 9, and a bunch of endless hallways, but no Lab 37! I'm so lost my head's spinning!"

"Hey, didn't we just see a door with the number 37 on it a minute ago?" Sho asked Judai.

The brunette nodded. "Yeah, it's back that way."

"Don't tell me that!" Asuka said. "I need to know _how far_ that way it is and _how many turns_ I need to take in order to get there! Just saying 'it's back that way' keeps getting me lost again! And I _really_ don't want to spend_ another _20 or more minutes wandering through almost-deserted parts of this place!"

Judai stared at her a moment, thinking of an old friend who always got lost. "I'll show you, Johan," he teased, knowing she wouldn't get it but unable to resist.

"Who!?" she asked.

"Aniki?"

Judai shook his head. "You'll know soon enough."

The two stared at him in confusion.

Keeping out of their sight, the spirit humphed. _"'I'll show you, _Johan_.' Yeah, that's really funny, Judai. I just can't stop laughing!"_ he said, heavy on the sarcasm. He humphed again.

His friend thought it was funny. After all, Johan _did_ get lost a lot.

_"__Yeah, yeah, shut it."_

His friend grinned.

Judai started off for the cafeteria with Asuka, but Sho didn't move. Instead, he said, "I think I'll check out the rest of this place first. I'm not really hungry."

"You sure?" Judai asked, certain Sho had to be kidding.

"Yup! I think I'll give you some space instead. Later, Aniki!" With that, he ran off, leaving Judai alone with Asuka.

Judai watched him go. "Huh. That's...new."

Suddenly Asuka was rethinking this. "Uh, you okay with this? I mean..."

"Yeah. Come on, let's go," he said, starting off down the hall toward the cafeteria.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "'Cause I could always try to find someone else to take me there."

"I'm sure. Besides, you'll probably get lost looking for someone else." He grinned and winked.

Asuka hesitated. "Okay," she said at last.

They started off down the hall in silence. Asuka was worried she'd upset him if she spoke—their conversations often led to unpleasant memories.

"...What's up, Asuka?" Judai asked. "Cat got your tongue?"

He shouldn't have teased her about being Johan. With what he'd remembered about these three recently, remembering Johan hurt worse all of a sudden. After Sho and he had that fight, Johan had been his closest friend. His other closest—Sho, Asuka, and Manjoume—had betrayed him in some way or other. Turning their backs on him when he needed them, marrying the girl he loved, or deeming him an ingrate for having something he didn't want. Now he had to find some way to get his mind off of these thoughts of his before he broke down again.

"I'm just a little nervous, that's all," Asuka lied. "I-I mean, this place is huge, so I'm worried we'll get lost again! Yeah! That's it! I don't want to get lost..."

Judai glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, studying her expression. "No, that's not it," he said at last. "You're worried about upsetting me, aren't you?"

"Uh..." She sweat. "No?"

"Uh-huh. Yeah, I'm buying that about as much as you guys buy it when I say I'm fine. You know, those times when you can just tell that I'm not."

Asuka was silent.

"Don't worry about that," Judai told her. "If it happens, it happens. Heck, I upset myself a lot of the time just being left to my thoughts, so..."

"I'm sorry..."

Judai shook his head, saying, "Don't worry about it. Like I told Sho earlier, the past is better left in the past."

From an intersecting hallway, a voice said, "Okay. So, if I take a right at that corner, then go straight until I see a chemistry lab, it should be located on the right... Wait a minute! Wh-!?"

Manjoume, a map in his face, crashed into Judai.

"Ow!" the brunette said on impact. "Hey, Manjoume. You lost, too?" he asked, sweating.

"You two! Good. You got any idea where I am? 'Cause this map's made for Albert Einstein only," Manjoume said, annoyed.

"That depends. Where are you trying to get to?"

"I'm looking for my room in the housing area," he said. "Someone marked it on this map, but it's _still_ impossible to find! What gives!? It's like I've got the thing upside down or something!"

"Wait, you've got a map!? Who gave you that!?" Asuka demanded.

"Some idiot who thinks everyone speaks Gibberish," Manjoume answered. "I mean, really, what does 'go find the Spacial Compounder Unit and go right til you reach Alien Study' mean?"

Judai looked at the map. "You wanna go down this hallway," he said, pointing back the way he and Asuka had come. "Take the first left you can, then just head straight until you get to that room."

"And how the heck do _you_ know that, you idiot!? This place is a giant maze! I swear, the dude that built it loves labyrinths! So why aren't you lost!?"

"Good question," Asuka agreed, stunned.

Judai shrugged. "When you don't spend a lot of time in one place and could have enemies crop up anywhere, anytime, you learn to figure out you surroundings quickly."

Manjoume and Asuka stared at him, stunned.

The spirit stared a moment before saying, _"No fair, pal."_

"What were you _doing_ with your spare time?" Asuka asked.

"Helping people," he answered simply—he didn't want to get too into it with all the painful deaths it had caused over the centuries.

"And that got you enemies...how?" Manjoume asked.

Judai sweat. "Let's just say this planet's got waaay too many weirdos bent on world domination..."

They just stared, not sure they wanted to know what he meant by that.

"Anyway, that should get you to your room, Manjoume," Judai said.

"...Okay... Remind me to call you if I ever need saving." Muttering, he added, "Not that _that_ will ever happen to me, but still..." As he walked off, he said, "Thanks."

Asuka was still staring at Judai in disbelief.

"Anyway, the cafeteria," he said, walking off.

"...Right..."

The stunned girl followed him, still wondering what exactly he did with his life.


	14. Scheming Sho

**A/N: New chapter! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX or Yugioh 5D's.**

* * *

"Yusei! You can't be serious!" Aki said, incredulous. "Tell me you're not really asking me out while we're on an important mission, are you?"

"I know," he answered. "We're not really here to have fun, are we? But we can't do anything until that card comes back into range, so I thought we could pass some time that way."

Granted, he wasn't sure what to do for a date on a space ark, but he'd think of something.

"And what about your recent run of bad luck?" Aki asked, crossing her arms. "What happens if we try this, and it causes us to lose the card or get into trouble again? Then what? Well?"

"Aki, I really think my bad luck changed after talking to Judai. I mean, we've spent a lot of time together as friends, and nothing's happened yet. We can at least try again, can't we?"

"I suppose... Okay."

"Great. Then how's Friday sound?"

"Sure, why not," Aki said with little enthusiasm—she wasn't getting her hopes up that this one would be any different.

"Okay. See you then," Yusei said before walking off in search of somewhere he hadn't yet found.

* * *

Asuka and Judai, meanwhile, had reached the cafeteria. Apparently, though, they weren't the only ones seeking food just then. Out of all the round tables in the large room, only one wasn't full—it was small, probably big enough to sit four, max, if they squeezed in around it. For a moment, Asuka thought it would be fine. That was before she saw Judai lick his lips as he looked at the food on one end of the room.

Asuka looked at him, concerned. "Uh... I...think I'll come back later..." She started inching away.

Judai looked at her, confusion written on his face. "Why? Aren't you hungry?" he asked.

"Well, it looks a bit crowded right now, so..."

"There's room enough for both of us over there," he said, pointing at the empty table. "Come on."

"Uh... You sure?" she asked, not wanting to upset him by opening old wounds.

Judai smiled and said, "Yeah, I'm sure."

"I don't know. Won't this..." She trailed off, not wanting to finish that.

"Asuka. What did I just say about leaving the past in the past?" he answered, still smiling. He held a hand out to her.

Asuka hesitated, still unsure about this. "Okay...," she said at last.

Judai gave her a reassuring smile. "Just don't ask me too many questions about the past, and we should be good."

"...Okay."

She took his hand, and the two went and got some food before heading over to the small table and sitting down across from each other.

As Judai started scarfing down his food, Asuka stared. Judai scarfing down food once was one thing—she could always put it down to him not eating earlier. Judai scarfing down food twice was harder to explain.

"Do you always eat like that?" she asked.

He stopped eating for a moment and looked at her. "Huh?"

"Uh, no," she said, closing her eyes and grinning. "Never mind!"

Judai cocked his head.

_"__Ah. The joys of being naïve. You never know what anyone's saying,"_ Yubel teased.

_Funny, Yubel._

"So, you're a hero, then?" Asuka asked in attempt to make conversation.

"Yeah, pretty much," Judai answered.

"And what's that like?"

"It can get pretty crazy sometimes. I travel all around the world, just helping out with whatever's going on wherever I am."

"And what do you mean by crazy?"

"Well, I've met guys who bring duel monsters to life here on Earth, aliens, and basically anything sci-fi you can think of."

"W-what!?"

Judai laughed at her reaction. "Yeah. That's actually how I met Yusei, too. Some guy from the future—even Yusei's future—went back in time and was stealing duel monsters from friends of mine, so I checked it out, got blasted by real dragons, and got saved by Yusei."

"So that's how, huh?"

"Yeah. We had to go further back in time, chasing after the guy, to save the world."

Asuka stared at him a moment, stunned, before she said, "Your life's crazy..."

Judai just laughed again.

Sho burst through the door. "FINALLY!" he exclaimed.

Asuka turned. "Huh!? Sho!?"

Judai stared at the panting blunette.

"See, little guy?" Crow said, coming in behind him. "I told ya we'd find it."

"I'm just glad we found anything familiar," Sho answered. "Remind me to thank Yusei later."

The two headed over to get some food. Judai watched, sweating.

"Yeah, I figured he was lying... Wonder why?"

Asuka stared at the boy in question, the kid who had claimed he wasn't hungry only to burst in shortly after they had arrived, as she realized what he had done.

"Oh, no..."

"Huh?" Judai turned to her. "What?"

"J-Judai... Notice anything about this setup here? Well, I think he..." She trailed off.

Judai looked at her questioningly, ever the naïve one.

"He might have...felt like a third wheel." She finished in a mumble.

Judai's eyes widened slightly. "Oh."

"...I should probably leave...," Asuka said, standing up.

"No," Judai said, stopping her. "Don't."

"Huh?"

"You don't have to go."

"But wouldn't you rather not—I mean, doesn't this—" She cut herself off. She was sure this would hurt him, but she didn't want to say it.

Judai shrugged. "We hung out all the time as friends before," he told her. "There wasn't always someone else around."

That was especially true after graduation. They had all gone their separate ways, and Sho wasn't tagging along anymore, even though he and Asuka had eventually settled down in the same town.

"...Okay, then." She sat back down.

Sho and Crow walked over, each carrying a tray of food. "Uh, 'scuse us, but can we..." Not wanting to intrude, Sho trailed off.

"Yeah, sure," Judai said.

Sho's eyes bugged out of his head. "Wha!? Really!?"

"Great!" Crow said, needing no further invitation, as he took a seat.

"Crow?" Sho asked.

"What's wrong, Sho? No need to be shy. He doesn't bite," Asuka teased Judai with a grin. "Just don't mess with his food, and keep your hands away from his mouth, and you'll be okay."

"Ha ha, real funny, Asuka," Judai said, grinning as well.

Sho looked at them questioningly.

"Come on, pal!" Crow said. "Have a seat already! They're only joking."

"Uh, okay..." Sho sat down. He was quiet for a few seconds before adding, "Sorry about this."

"About what?" Judai asked.

"It's fine, Sho," Asuka said. "We were getting a little bored, anyway."

"Wha!? Really!?" Sho exclaimed. "But that means—"

"We wanted more friends to hang out with besides each other," she cut him off.

Sho just stared at her.

"After all, it's more fun in a larger group, right?" she finished.

"...But I thought—"

"Yeah," Judai said, cutting Sho off. "What she said, Sho."

He stared back and forth between the two for a moment before looking down.

* * *

"I just don't get it," Sho said to Judai later in their room. "You were alone with her, and you didn't _do_ anything? Why?"

"Sho, technically, none of you guys should even know me yet," Judai pointed out. "What do you expect me to do? Hook up with Asuka before she goes to school and meets this time's me, who doesn't know her yet?"

Sho stared at him for a little while. "But isn't that part of some unfinished business you have?" he asked at last.

"Yeah, well, I'm still not even sure it's a good thing that you guys know me..."

"Huh? Why?"

"Space/time stuff. That's why." Thinking about the three times in life that he had met Yugi, he added, "Then again..."

Okay, he had met Yugi when he went to take the entrance exam for Duel Academy. That was when Yugi had given him Winged Kuriboh. Then again, had Yugi given it to him because he knew him? Because they met in the past? But he didn't know Yugi...

Tired of giving himself a headache, Judai shook his head and gave up on sorting through that.

"Oh. You mean what's going on right now," Sho said. "Okay."

"Yeah. And it's really confusing..."

Sho sighed in relief. "Good. 'Cause, for a second there, I thought you meant everyone would be better off if we never meet. I mean, obviously you would..."

Thinking of his third year, Judai said, "There was a time when I thought that... Hopefully, what we're doing right now will keep _that_ time from happening..."

"I hope so..."

* * *

_Well, it's a good thing I sleep in my pants,_ Judai thought, irritated, as he searched the room for any of his clothes. _Now if I was only smart enough to wear a shirt to bed..._

When he had woken up that morning, Judai had found that all of his clothes were missing, save the pants he had slept in. His shoes were even gone. This was bad, considering all he owned was about six shirts, two pairs of pants, some socks, and his old Duel Academy jacket and shoes—sort of. What really ticked him off was the jacket—he'd had that thing for 2000 years, getting it patched up so much that it hardly counted as the original anymore, keeping it as a reminder of happier times. The shoes had been fixed a lot, too, but he didn't care so much about those. He wanted that jacket back. His few shirts, pants, sock, and shoes, too, while he was at it, but especially that jacket.

"I swear," Sho said, an evil gleam in his eyes, as Judai cast a glare upon him. "I have no idea what happened, Aniki. Honest."

Judai put a hand to his head. "Ugh..."

He didn't buy it, but he couldn't really force Sho to tell the truth.

"Maybe someone else saw who did it," Sho suggested.

"Yeah, okay," Judai said, heading out to find his clothes.

* * *

Crow was rocking out to what he believed were a bunch of cool "oldies." They weren't old in this time, but they were for him. Even with his door shut, the music could be heard clearly out in the hallway, and Judai was pretty sure he heard the guy singing, too. He knocked on the door, unheard by the occupant.

"Crow! Hey!" Judai called, pounding on the door.

Crow opened up, blasting his music out into the hall, still rocking out a bit. "Yo, dude! What's shakin'!?" he asked over the music.

"You wouldn't know what happened to the rest of my clothes, would you!?" Judai answered loudly, trying to be heard. "They're all missing!"

Crow cupped a hand to his ear. "WHAT WAS THAT, BRO!?"

Judai frowned. "WHY DON'T YOU TURN THAT DOWN FOR A MINUTE!?"

"OH! OKAY! ONE SEC!" he said, heading back into the room and cranking down the volume. He walked back over and said, "Okay. You were saying?"

A lame look on his face, Judai said, "My shirts and jacket seem to have 'gone missing.' Any ideas where they might be?"

"No, sorry, buddy," Crow said. "I wish I could help you, but I don't know what happened to 'em." He looked at Judai's feet and added, "Might want to put some shoes on, though. The floors up here get pretty cold."

"Yeah, those are gone, too."

"Well, who the heck steals centuries-old clothes?" Crow asked. "What's wrong with people 'round here?"

Judai muttered, "The only 'centuries-old' things are my jacket and my shoes...and those have been fixed so many times, I'm not sure they count..."

"I don't know, pal. I could help you look for 'em, though."

"Thanks," Judai said.

The two split up to search. Crow asked Jack. Judai, on the other hand, had a more awkward moment with his next encounter.

* * *

Out of all the things Aki had expected to see that morning, a half-naked Judai wasn't one of them. Granted, he wasn't bad-looking, dressed in nothing but black jeans. Without a shirt and that ratty jacket on, she could see how well-toned he was. A half-naked man was definitely not what she'd had in mind for this morning, though.

"What?" she asked after he posed his question, staring at him in surprise.

_Maybe I should borrow a shirt,_ Judai thought. "You haven't seen the rest of my clothes around, have you?" he repeated, a lame look on his face.

"That's what I thought you said," Aki said. "No. Sorry, I haven't. Why did someone steal them in the first place? Who'd do something like that?"

"I'm thinking Sho, though I don't have any proof...or a reason..."

"What?"

_That's the second time she's asked that... What, does she go deaf when she sees a shirtless guy?_

Aki stared another moment before saying, "Sorry. I don't know."

Judai sighed. "Okay, then."

He headed off to ask someone else. Or find a guy with a shirt he could actually fit into. He was getting a bit cold running around here without one.

* * *

Yusei was planning for the date he had tomorrow when he heard a knock at his door.

"It's open," he called.

Judai opened the door and walked on in, wearing nothing but black jeans. "Hey. You wouldn't have a shirt I can borrow? Or any idea where mine are?" he asked lamely.

Yusei sweat. "What happened, Judai?"

"Somebody stole my clothes."

"Why?"

"Don't ask me. All I know is, when I woke up, all I had was the clothes on my back..."

"I might have a shirt you can borrow," Yusei told him. "What size are you?"

"Medium," he answered.

Yusei nodded. "Okay, give me a minute to see what I can come up with." He dug through his closet and pulled out a black and red tank top. "Will this do, pal?" he asked.

"Yeah. Thanks, Yusei."

Tossing Judai the shirt, Yusei said, "No problem. So, any guesses on who the clothes thief is?"

Judai caught the shirt and pulled it on, saying, "Only guess I've got is Sho, though he denies it, and I can't think of why he'd do it."

"Hmm. That's weird. Need some help searching, then?"

"I'd appreciate it, if you're not too busy."

"Nah. That's tomorrow. I just hope it works out this time." He looked away, thoughtful.

Guessing what "that" was because of Yusei's attitude, Judai said, "Good luck with that, man."

"Anyway, bro, we should get looking for your missing clothes," Yusei said. "Any ideas on where to look?"

Judai stood there for a moment. "Nope," he answered at last, sweating. "Not a one."

"Then let's get looking. We've got a lot of ground left to cover. Assuming he didn't throw them into space, we should be able to find them," Yusei teased, grinning, as he walked out.


	15. Breaking Every Rule

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! It's going to be awhile before my other story,"Human or Monster," gets updated, but this one will keep going in the meantime! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX or Yugioh 5D's.**

* * *

Yusei met up with Crow, and the two of them ran into Asuka, getting her involved in the clothing search. Judai, meanwhile...found Manjoume in a pool? Why the hell was there a pool on a space ark anyway?

Yes, that's right, Manjoume was in a pool on a space ark. He was wearing black swim trunks, lounging on an inflatable chair in the middle of the pool, with sunglasses on for some dumb reason. Oh, and he was sipping lemonade. What the hell was wrong with this picture?

Yubel stared for a moment. Recovering from the initial shock, she said, _"Judai. Any idea why he brought those things to space with him...?"_

_It's Manjoume,_ Judai answered. _He had the red dorm redone our second year when he didn't get promoted. I'm not even remotely surprised, really._

Yubel just stared. She had known Judai had some weird friends, but that was just ridiculous.

"Hey, Manjoume, I've got a question," Judai said, walking over to stand on the edge of the pool.

"Oh. Hi. What do you want?" Manjoume responded, looking like he was in a great mood.

_What is this, his vacation? _Judai decided to ignore the fact that the guy was vacationing on a space ark when they were here to help him and asked, "You haven't seen my clothes around, have you?"

"Yes I have." Manjoume smirked, adding, "Why, you want them?"

"Uh, yes!" Judai said. _Why am I surprised?_

"That's too bad. I no longer have them."

Through gritted teeth, Judai asked, "Then who does?"

Manjoume gave another smirk, looking rather evil as he did so. "Try the girls' restroom, north block."

Judai groaned. "Seriously? Why?"

Manjoume just smirked and went back to relaxing, taking a sip of his drink.

_"__Okay! _What_ are they up to!?"_ Yubel demanded.

_I don't think I really _want_ to know..._ Turning to leave, Judai said, "Great. Thanks."

* * *

Asuka was searching the north block for any sign of Judai's missing clothing when she saw the brunette talking to a girl.

"Ah! You're such a jerk!" the girl said before slapping his face and storming off.

Asuka wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know what Judai could have done to get that reaction out of a girl. From what she could tell—and mysteriously remembered—Judai was a nice guy.

"Uh, Judai?" she asked quietly, too stunned to speak any louder.

"Ugh... Manjoume, I'm gonna kill you...," he muttered to himself.

"Judai?" Asuka said more loudly. "What's going on?"

Judai turned.

"Uh... Manjoume stole my clothes and hid them in a...girls' bathroom..." Silently, he swore, _Damn you, Manjoume! Damn your fucking rich ass to hell! Why the fuck should I have to say this to Asuka!?_

"What!?" she asked. _That perv!_

Much more calm on the outside than the inside, Judai said, "Yeah...so, clearly, I can't go get them..."

Every girl he had asked to help him with this had laughed at him or called him a pervert and slapped him, leaving him to figure out this problem of his some other way. There was no way in hell he was asking Asuka for help. If she volunteered, that would be great, though.

"I guess that means it wasn't Sho, then?" she asked.

"Still not sure I can rule him out... They could be working together on this... I mean, it wouldn't be the first time something like that happened," Judai said, thinking back to school when Sho and Manjoume had worked together at times. Though, granted, Judai was usually involved.

"And why do you supposed they're doing this? What are they after, anyway?"

"Heck if I..." He trailed off, then said, "Well, Manjoume's probably just enjoying picking on me. That wouldn't surprise me. Sho..." Judai sweat, thinking of the scheme he'd tried yesterday. "Trying to get me to talk to you..."

"What?" Asuka asked.

Judai blushed. _Damn it, Sho._

Asuka's face flushed, though she wasn't sure why. "Uh..."

_Oh, I'm gonna have to ask it, aren't I?_ Judai thought. Still blushing, he asked, "So? Think you can help me out with this?"

Asuka, still blushing, was quiet a second before saying, "Uh, sure. Which one...?"

"North block."

Asuka sweat, blushing deeper. "Judai, I, uh... My room's around that one..."

"Yeah... I know..."

"...Okay, let's...let's just go...," she said, walking off. She was still blushing furiously.

Judai followed her.

* * *

While Judai waited outside, Asuka headed into the bathroom to find his clothes. When she returned, she looked mad enough to kill, but she had Judai's clothes with her. Her eyes were closed, as if she were picturing all the ways to kill a man.

"Here," she said, sounding annoyed, as she slapped his clothes into his arms.

"Thanks," Judai said.

Eyes still closed and still sounding annoyed, she said, "Don't mention it. Please."

Judai stared at her for a long moment. "Sorry," he finally said.

Asuka sighed. "No. It's not you. It's _him_. Do you have any idea where those were? The _showers!_ He stuck your clothes in the damn shower! Meaning he's _been_ in the showers! ARG! THAT DAMN PERVERT! I swear! He's dead this time!"

Judai just stared, slightly scared. Asuka took some deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.

_"__Uh, might be a good idea to go get dressed while she calms down some...,"_ Yubel suggested, pointing at the men's bathroom across the hall.

_Right...,_ he affirmed, heading off to change into his own shirt.

* * *

Judai came back out, wearing a black turtleneck and his red jacket, to see Asuka leaning against the wall, eyes closed, arms crossed. She still looked annoyed.

"Asuka?" he asked, slightly hesitant.

"You dressed yet?" she asked without moving.

Judai stared a moment. Technically, he was dressed earlier, just in Yusei's shirt.

"Yeah," he answered.

"Good."

A long, awkward silence followed this.

Feeling the need to break this silence somehow, Judai asked, "You okay?"

Asuka sighed and opened her eyes. "Yeah. I'm fine. I just can't believe any guy could be so...arg... Well, you know."

"It doesn't surprise me, really," Judai said, thinking of some of the creeps he'd met over the centuries. "Disgust me, sure, but not surprise me."

Asuka sighed again. "Yeah, I bet. I mean, you've probably met all sorts of characters after all this time, right?"

"Yeah, and your brother's still in the top ten." His eyes widened slightly as he realized what he had just said. He sweat.

Asuka's eyes widened. "You know my brother!? Where is he!?"

"Uh..." Judai sweat. _Damn. Probably shouldn't have mentioned Fubuki... He's still missing, you idiot,_ he chided himself.

She got up in his face, glaring, and demanded, "Well!?"

Judai leaned back slightly. "...I'm not sure I'm actually allowed to tell you..."

Asuka growled. "Speak up already! Don't I deserve to know after all we've been through!? I mean, I'm helping you, so why won't you help me!?"

Yubel glared at Asuka, not liking the sound of that.

Judai hesitated, thinking he'd be doing her a favor if he didn't tell her. "Even if I tell you, you won't find him any faster."

She growled again. "I see _you're_ going to make a great friend! Keeping secrets from people who help you out! Fine! Be that way! Sorry I ever tried to help you!" She humphed, turning and starting off.

"Fine," Judai said, caving. "He's... It's hard to explain, but he's in another dimension...where he met this girl..." He sweat, finally making the connection of Sara the Gravekeeper's Assailant and Fubuki.

_"__Judai, you idiot!"_ Yubel snapped. _"1. You're putting the future in jeopardy, and 2. she's using you! She's trying to get you to feel guilty so you'll tell her anything she wants to know! She's using helping you against you to do that! Some friend _you're_ gonna be!? Judai, _this_ Asuka isn't the one you knew! She's! Just! Using! You!"_

"W-what?" Asuka asked, turning.

Judai didn't answer, thinking of what Yubel had just said.

"What do you mean he's in another dimension!? What happened to him!? Tell me!"

Asuka knew that she was playing dirty, but her brother had been missing since his first year of high school. She knew she shouldn't be blackmailing Judai this way, but he knew what had happened to her brother, and she had been trying to figure that out for a long time.

Judai stared at her for a moment, remembering how much she had wanted to find her brother during their first year. It had seemed that she would do anything to figure out what had happened.

"Yubel's right, isn't she?"he said at last.

"Huh?"

"You can see _I'm_ going to make a great friend? Well, I'm finally seeing how great a friend _you_ are!" Judai snapped. "This is the third time something like this has happened! Why is it taking me until just now to realize what's going on!?" He looked and sounded hurt.

"What are you talking about?" Asuka asked.

"You do this sort of thing a lot! You either put me down because of something that _I_ can't control, get on me for things that I already _know_ are my fault and accuse me of things I didn't do..."

The first: ending their friendship because of his aging issue. The second: that whole thing in Dark World. That one led him off on a tangent.

"'I will have to live forever with the sadness of having been betrayed by you...' No, Asuka, that's _me!_ It's _always_ been me! _I_ never betrayed you, but you're _always_ doing something like this!"

"I never did..." She trailed off, then went on, "You're talking about in the future, aren't you?"

"YES!" he snapped, tears burning in his eyes.

Asuka stared as Judai took some deep breaths to calm himself.

"So, what you're saying is, _I'm_ the bad friend?" she asked at last. "That's crazy!"

"Then you _weren't_ just baiting me, trying to get answers about the future, while I'm trying _not_ to mess with the space/time continuum too much and cause the end of life as we know it?" he asked, glaring at her. "I don't know _what_ could happen if I go messing with too much back here, Asuka. I'm the one looking out for _everyone's _well-being. Isn't it enough to know that your brother _will_ be fine, regardless of where he is now?"

Asuka was silent, thinking about that.

"I'll admit, I've been a lousy friend in the past, but at least I've never abandoned a friend when they needed me the most," Judai finished, the pain in his voice almost tangible, as he turned to walk off.

_"__Oh, boy... Now he's thinking of _that_ again,"_ the spirit said sadly as he watched. _"The words of a broken heart..."_

While Judai had never openly admitted it, the spirit knew for a fact that he felt betrayed and abandoned by Asuka's decision to end their friendship all those years ago. It didn't help that he had gotten cancer and been told he only had a short while left to live, and Asuka hadn't answered when he called—it had left him with the impression that she didn't care about him. The spirit wasn't even sure if Judai had admitted these feelings to himself, but, as his best friend, the spirit knew things about Judai that even the brunette didn't know.

"...Judai, wait," Asuka said, following.

He stopped and glanced back, waiting.

"Look, I'm sorry," she said. "You're right. I shouldn't have been doing that, but try to understand! This is my _brother_ we're talking about! He's as important to me as I am to you!"

"I know. But I can promise you that he _will_ be fine. Otherwise, how would I know what a character he is?"

He thought back to that day on the beach, when Manjoume had stolen the seven keys to the Spirit Gates and challenged Asuka to a "Love Duel." He'd been too disturbed by the whole thing to even comment on that much, and Fubuki's appearance in a flower-print shirt with a ukulele hadn't helped any.

"Okay...," Asuka said.

Judai relaxed a bit—he hadn't even realized how tense he had been until his shoulders relaxed.

After a moment, Asuka asked, "So, do you still think I'm a bad friend? I mean, if I _did_ do all that, I'm sure I had my reasons!"

Judai sighed, and the spirit could just hear the lie coming.

"No," he said. "I don't know where that came from, honestly... I mean, that one, you weren't yourself. Then, that other time..." He shook his head, not wanting to think about her decision and the rift it had caused between them. "Let's just say, I can see your reasons there, too."

Asuka responded quietly, almost as if she were in a trance. "...I couldn't stand losing you..."

Judai just stared at her.

She blinked. "Huh? What?"

After another moment, Judai asked, "What was that?"

She blinked again. "What was what?"

"You just said... Never mind."

Asuka just blinked at him a couple more times, looking confused. He shook his head.

"No don't worry about it. I'm sure it's nothing," he said.

Asuka looked at him questioningly.

"Anyway, thanks for the help. I should probably go tell the others they can stop looking now," he said. _And get Yusei's shirt back to him...after I wash it._

He started walking off, but Asuka's voice called him back.

"Judai...?" she asked.

He stopped and looked back at her. "What? Something wrong?"

"I'm sorry..."

"...Huh?"

"I shouldn't have used you like that... I know it was wrong, and, from the sound if things, my future self's not any better to you. Please let me make it up to you."

He stared at her for a few seconds before asking, "How?"

Asuka thought about it for a moment. "How about I treat you to lunch today?" she suggested. "I-I mean, since you love food and all... N-not as a date or anything! I-I mean—" With each word, she blushed worse, sweating the whole time. _Oh, this isn't going to go well... Please don't get upset, Judai._

Judai smiled. "Okay."

The spirit pumped his fist in the air. _"Way to go, girl! That's the way!"_ As another thought occurred to him, he stopped. _"But, wait. Should he be dating a girl from the past? And it's Asuka, too... Hmm..."_

Now he was worried.

"W-what!?" Asuka asked. "S-so, it's not too much for you to—"

"Asuka," Judai cut her off. "You've got to stop worrying about upsetting me. I mean, it's not like you and I ever really dated anyway, so it's really not an issue."

Asuka stared at him, worried.

_"__Uh, not to upset you or anything, but what about that one time, back at school, with the tag duel...,"_ Yubel asked.

_Not a date, _Judai countered.

_"__Close enough,"_ she taunted.

_Shut up._

"Okay, then," Asuka said at last. "So, where should we meet?"

Judai grinned and said, "That depends... Where do you think you can find without getting lost?"

"Ha ha. Very funny," she said sarcastically. "Then why not meet me at my room, then? I doubt I can get lost in _there._"

Judai laughed. "Sure, that works for me."

Yubel was worried now—this was sounding more and more like a date.

Asuka hadn't meant for him to take that seriously. "Okay. I guess that works, but..."

Knowing what she was going to say, Judai said, "Great. See ya later!"

With that, he ran off, never giving Asuka the chance to worry more about hurting him by dating him.

_"__You realize you're on the line here, right?"_ Yubel asked him. _"Didn't the spinning lunatic say, 'no dating past people?' You're this close to doing that..."_

"Yeah, well, might as well break every _other_ rule in the book while I'm at it, right? I mean, she probably shouldn't even be here... Besides, there's no chance of me becoming my own grandpa."

_"__Judai, do you realize what you just said?"_ she asked, worried._ "Don't you remember what she did to you in the future? And how long it's been since you last saw her? I...don't think you should do this to yourself..."_

"...I'll be fine, Yubel."

Winged Kuriboh appeared, apparently disagreeing. _"Kurii..."_

"I'm telling you guys, I'll be fine!" he said.

_"__But, Judai, what if—"_

"Don't say it," Judai cut her off. "Aren't _you_ the one who's been assuring me it _won't?_"

He knew what she was going to say: What if their plan failed? And he didn't want to hear it.

Yubel hesitated. _"Well..."_

Judai stopped where he was. "Well?"

Finally, she confessed, _"I don't know for sure. I just _think_ it will work, okay?"_

With a growing sense of dread, Judai said, "And I'm gonna pretend I didn't just hear that."

He knew that, if this plan didn't work, he'd be stuck in this mess forever, and that was the last thing he wanted.

_"__I'm just saying, careful what you do and don't do, okay?"_ Yubel said gently, concern filling every word.

"I'll be fine, Yubel. Don't worry."

She and Winged Kuriboh just stared at him—they doubted that he would be if this failed, but they were through arguing with him.

Crow headed by, still looking for Judai's clothes.

"Hey! Crow!" Judai called, running after him. "You can stop looking now!"


	16. Ready for Your Date?

**A/N: A new chapter! Alright, enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX or Yugioh 5D's.**

* * *

Aki frantically looked through her things, searching for something to wear on that freaking date Yusei had asked her out on.

"Ooh, that guy!" she said, ending her vain search. "What am I supposed to do now!?"

Briefly, she thought that another woman up here might have something she could borrow, so she headed out to find one. As she walked down the hall, though, she started having second thoughts.

_Oh. What am I thinking? Of _course_ the answer's no! They're scientists, for crying out loud! And that friend of Judai's is a little too young! Could this be any worse!?_

"Aki? You okay?"

She turned, startled, to find herself face to face with Asuka. "Asuka! D-don't scare me like that! Didn't your mama ever tell you it's rude to sneak up on people!?"

"I'm sorry," Asuka answered. "I didn't mean to scare you, it's just...you looked a bit, and don't take this the wrong way or anything, but you looked...well, a bit frantic. Are you-"

"Frantic!?" Aki cut her off. "Who said I was frantic!? I—" She cut herself off, realizing Asuka was right. With a sigh, she said, "Okay. So maybe I am being a bit childish. It's just, Yusei asked me out tomorrow, and I don't have anything to wear."

"What? Why'd he do that here, of all places?"

"I don't know. It's Yusei. What can I say? Any ideas on what I should do?"

"Hmm..." Asuka thought about it for a moment before saying, "No. Sorry. But, hey, maybe, if we look around long enough, we'll find someone who does." She paused before adding, "Although, I can't help you past noon, okay?"

"And why's that?" Aki asked.

"Let's just say, I owe someone a lunch date..."

"Okay."

* * *

"W-what!?" Asuka demanded, taking in the sight before her. "Why's this here!?"

After wandering around for a little bit, she and Aki had found a shopping center—basically a mall—with a shoe store, clothing store, jewelry store...and the sign in front said everything was free. Yeah, she had to be dreaming.

"Don't look at me!" Aki said. "I thought this place was supposed to be a science lab, but it's looking more and more like a city in space..."

"...Yeah..."

The two just stood there for several minutes, staring. Seriously, where were they? A space ark meant to study space? Or a space colony in the making?

"Anyway, Aki," Asuka said at last, "we should probably check it out. After all, you might find something for your date tomorrow in there, and I think I should get something special, too... N-not that I'm going on a date or anything, it's just...something deep down inside me says I should look my bet for this lunch... I can't explain it, but..."

Aki just watched her for a moment before saying, "You're having lunch with Judai, aren't you?"

Asuka hesitated before answering, "Yeah... See, we got into this fight earlier today, and he told me some stuff my future self said, and, well..." She trailed off.

"**'I will have to live forever with the sadness of having been betrayed by you...' No, Asuka, that's _me!_ It's _always_ been me!"**

She shook her head, pulling herself away from the memory. "I just need to make it up to him, that's all."

"Okay. Then let's stop wasting time here and get some shopping done!" Aki said excitedly, giving a playful glare.

"Yeah! But try to be quick. I don't have as much time as you do!" Asuka said with a laugh.

Aki laughed, too. "Okay! Come on!"

She ran into the shopping center, Asuka following along, both of them excited.

* * *

The two tried on outfit after outfit, only stopping when they had both found something perfect for their respective occasions—the actual outfit, along with matching shoes, jewelry, and hair accessories. Aki even went so far as to get some makeup. They weren't done until almost 11.

"Well, anyway, Aki," Asuka said, holding a bag with her new belongings, "it's been fun, but I really need to go and get ready. Good luck with Yusei tomorrow!"

"Thanks, you, too," Aki said. "Let's just hope this one actually works out. Otherwise, I'm so done with him." She crossed her arms, suddenly looking mad.

"And why's that?"

"Well, think about it, kid. How can anyone possibly form a relationship with a guy who's cursed!? We can't even _start_ a date, let alone bond on one! Why bother trying? You get what I'm saying?"

Asuka's eyes widened. After a moment, she said, "I know what you mean... It sounds like it's rough trying to love someone like that... But it's not _his_ fault. I mean, so what if he's cursed? He still loves you, right? I'm sure there are ways around it."

Annoyed, Aki demanded, "Like what!?"

"Well, let's take Judai for example," Asuka answered, thinking that was a great example of a guy with a curse that wasn't his fault. "He doesn't age and never dies. That means, one day, you'd lose him forever and be all alone... But he _is_ eighteen and _ can_ still have children! So, at the very least, you could have his kids to take with you and love even after he was gone!"

Of course, it felt a bit odd to be speaking of him as being the one who was gone—she'd be the one heading to the afterlife. Regardless, she pressed on.

"I understand my future self's mistake now. She may not have been able to have him afterward, but she could have at _least_ held onto him while she still could. I broke his heart to pieces that day... All because I didn't understand..."

Aki was listening carefully, thinking about what the younger girl was saying.

Looking away, Asuka said, "Why, it's no wonder my kindness hurts him more than helps him. He's still hurting over those regrets and the pain I caused him that day. And I bet, if I don't do something before it's too late, those painful memories will carry over to his other self when he reaches the right age, and that could change how he feels about me forever... I don't want _that_ to happen, so I'd better make things right..."

The idea of Judai remembering things from another life didn't seem so far-fetched when she thought about the fact that she knew him even though they hadn't met yet. Unsure how the space/time continuum worked, Asuka was indeed worried that something of that nature could happen, costing her a good friend it didn't sound like she really deserved.

"You have a point there...," Aki admitted. "I mean, it's not Yusei's fault he's cursed with such bad luck, and I _know_ I'm breaking his heart, so... Okay, Asuka!" she said, sounding confident and excited. "I'll keep that in mind! After all, we can always drag a third wheel along everywhere we go, can't we? We _never_ have problems when someone else is there! It's not perfect, but it will do if it means we can be together, right!?"

"Exactly! We can still form a relationship, even if it's a little different!" Asuka said with a smile.

"Right! So let's both do our best with our dates tomorrow and prove it!"

"Right. But...mine's in an hour," Asuka said, laughing a bit.

"Right. My bad!" Aki laughed. "Well, then, what are you waiting for!? Hurry up and get home so you can get ready!"

Asuka nodded. Running off, she called, "See you later, Aki! And thanks!"

"No! Thank _you!_" Aki called after her. "And good luck mending the fences! Catch ya later!"

"You, too! Later!"

Feeling much better about this upcoming date, Aki hurried back to her room to try on her new outfit one more time.

* * *

While the girls had been shopping, Judai, around 9:14, had been in his room, talking to Sho about the clothing issue.

"No! I swear! I had _nothing_ to do with you meeting Asuka because Manjoume stole your clothes!" Sho said.

Judai crossed his arms, looking stern. "Funny, I don't think I mentioned Asuka, Sho..."

Sho sweat, putting on a huge, goofy grin—a guilty grin. "O-oh! You didn't!? W-well, I just thought, since you had to search in the north block girls' room, I just figured you _did_ run into her!" He laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Hmm... I never mentioned _that,_ either."

Sho's grin widened, and he started sweating buckets. "Uh, well, see...I, uh...guessed?" He laughed slightly, nervous. "I'm dead now, aren't I?"

Judai closed his eyes and shook his head. "Ah, Sho, I'd say yes, but..."

Sho looked nervous. "But...?" he pressed, sweating.

"But I'm not that kind of guy. Besides," he said, giving a mischievous grin, "I already know how and when you're going to die."

Sho sweat some more. "Oh...uh... I should run, then, right?"

Judai just grinned in response. Sho backed away a few steps, slowly, before turning and bolting.

Judai let him go. _I knew he'd do that. Sometimes, the best way to punish someone is to just let them tremble for awhile._

_"__Ah, Judai,"_ Yubel said, grinning evilly. _"That's mean..."_ She snickered.

"Hey, it's not my fault if he's so easy to scare. I mean, I was telling the truth, seeing as I'm from the future and all," he answered, grinning.

_"__True, true,"_ she said, nodding. After another moment, she asked, _"So are you still going to this lunch? I mean, you know who that is and how you feel about her. What if you're hit with your regrets again and—"_

"I'll be fine, and I'm going," he cut her off, speaking very firmly.

_"__But what about the pain? You still feel it, even though you're trying to cover it up. I mean, she not only broke your heart _badly_, but your _own_ regrets are still haunting you. I can feel it, Judai... Deep __down, you don't want to do this..."_

It took him a little while to answer. "I have to, Yubel."

_"__Why? You said back in Yusei's place you weren't a glutton for punishment. But, ever since coming here, you've been punishing yourself!"_

Judai crossed his arms, looking off to the side. "Well, I clearly proved that statement wrong by agreeing to come back here in the first place, so clearly I _am_ a glutton for punishment. Now...I might as well enjoy the time I can spend with these guys while I've got it, right? I mean, you know, seeing as how I'll never..."

_"__Judai..."_

Winged Kuriboh looked about ready to hit her.

Judai smiled sadly and added, "It's like I said earlier: Don't think about the future until it comes, and leave the past in the past. In my situation, that's probably the best way to live."

Yubel just stared at him sadly for a minute before saying, _"I'm sorry..."_

Judai didn't answer. Winged Kuriboh hit the loudmouth fiend for depressing their friend again.

_"__I know, I know...,"_ she muttered.

And the puffball began yelling at her about how they had just gotten him cheered up, and then she had to go and open her big mouth about the possibility of them still failing and remind him of how many regrets he had and broken hearts...

Judai walked off as the little spirit continued, unable to stand his own company any longer. Or the company of those two. He needed to find someone else to talk to—anyone else.

* * *

Manjoume was still lounging at the pool when Judai walked by, except now Jack had joined him. Jack was wearing a black speedo, an open white button-down shirt with short sleeves, sunglasses, and a fancy white hat. The two looked like the best of friends, which didn't surprise Judai, honestly. After all, they were both rich—or, for Jack, formerly rich—snobs.

Manjoume saw the brunette wearing his own clothes again and smirked. "Hey, there, idiot. I guess you found your stuff?" he taunted.

Jack looked.

"Yeah, I found them," Judai said. Grinning, he taunted, "Oh, and Asuka's mad at you now, you pervert."

"Hey. What can I say. It was empty, and I just _had_ to do it."

"Do what, exactly?" Jack asked.

Yubel was gaping at the blond duelist. _"So hot..."_

"Stick my clothes in the ladies' room on the north block," Judai answered.

"You did _what!?_" Jack demanded.

Manjoume shrugged. "Hey, don't look at me. Sho _paid_ me to do it."

Jack gaped, his sunglasses falling off. Yubel was sweating buckets, still staring lustfully at him.

"Yeah, well, you might want to try justifying _that_ one to Asuka, rich boy," Judai said, reminding Manjoume that he shouldn't be taking monetary bribes. "You know, before she gets around to killing you."

"Yeah, yeah," Manjoume muttered, paddling to the edge of the pool.

"And why on earth would your best friend want someone to do something like _that_ to you?" Jack asked. "That makes no sense, coming from a complete wimp like him."

_"__...Jack sure looks good today... So...muscular and..."_

She kept babbling about how sexy Jack was and how she just wanted to bang him and all the things she would do with him if she could, getting into such graphic detail that Judai tried his best to tune her out. She'd suck his dick any day—oh, geez, she was polluting Judai's mind!

_Ugh, Yubel, shut up!_ Still trying to tune her out, he answered, "Trying to make me run into Asuka, although I don't know what good missing clothes will do our relationship." Muttering, he added, "Or lack thereof." Louder, he said, "Also, Yubel says you look good."

Jack humphed. "No surprise there. The ladies all want a piece of this."

Drooling, Yubel nodded mechanically. Manjoume, on the other hand, ran off to face the music.

"Anyway, didn't Akutsu say you shouldn't be forming any relationships with those of the past?" Jack asked, getting back on subject. "Something about destroying the space/time continuum? Are you _trying_ to end life as we know it!?" He sounded annoyed.

Judai shrugged. "I'm not trying to start a relationship with her. Besides, we're already working on destroying the space/time continuum by letting her, Manjoume, and Sho tag along," he said, voicing his suspicions for the first time.

"Then why the devil did you bring them!?" Jack demanded, sounding rather angry. "Are you out of your fucking mind!? What happens now!"

"I tried not to let them come. What, am I the only one responsible? Yusei was leaving the decision to let them come up to me. It's not my fault if nobody else thought to protest. Besides, in case you don't remember, I asked someone to give Manjoume a good reason not to come, and I was protesting the other two at first, too. As to what happens..." He shrugged and started walking off.

Jack sat there, fuming at Yusei. This was, after all, his fault—his crazy idea, his decision to let Judai decide whether the past kids came... _I am _so_ going to kill that man!_

* * *

_"__Judai? You okay?"_ Yubel asked.

_Yeah. Fine,_ he answered silently.

_"__Don't listen to him. They all know Yusei's the smart one, and if he thinks it's okay, then it probably is."_

_Yubel, what does it really matter to me if the space/time continuum falls apart? I've been thinking it will this whole time._

_"__W-what!?"_

_You heard me._

_"__Then why didn't you say anything!?"_ She suddenly knew why he was speaking to her in their mind rather than aloud. _"Don't you care!?"_

_Sure, I do. But I can't say I know anything about space/time. I've traveled through time twice in the past, and both times I've met a guy I shouldn't meet until the day of the entrance exams. For all I know, I'm overreacting here. I give up on figuring this stuff out. Let Yusei and the others worry about it._

_"__Ever the idiot...,"_ Yubel said, shaking her head. _"Well, fine, then. Then you might as well get ready for your date with Asuka in an hour... But don't say I didn't warn you."_

"Right," he said aloud.

* * *

_"__I still say this is a bad... What are you doing?"_

For reasons Yubel couldn't discern, Judai was putting on a different pair of pants—a pair he hadn't slept in, fresh from the laundry.

"Getting ready for my 'date,' like you said to," he answered, reaching for an iron.

_"__You do realize this isn't a real date, right? So why are you _ironing_ that old, wrinkled thing?" _Yubel asked, watching him iron his jacket. _"Everyone's already used to how it looks on you."_

"Why not?" he asked. He finished up with the jacket and put it on, then grabbed a comb.

_"__Okay. Seriously. What gives? Why are you acting like this is some super important moment in your life? It's just a friendly lunch, right?"_

"I don't know, okay?" he admitted, running the comb through his hair. "I just...feel like it's...more important than that..."

Yubel stared, worried. _"So, let me get this straight. You're going to make this into a _real_ date with that girl and cause yourself a mountain of heartache should this plan fail? You're a _real _glutton for punishment."_

"I already figured that out, thanks very much!" he snapped, thinking of his idiocy in accepting Yusei's invitation to live with him and his friends, along with the fact that he'd been befriending the others.

He finished combing his hair, then looked himself over in a mirror to make sure everything looked just right.

_"__...I can't to this...,"_ Yubel said quietly. Being fused with him caused him so much pain that she couldn't stand it.

"Too late for that. Besides, it wasn't really your choice, now, was it?"

_"__Judai..."_ She looked at him sadly, feeling suffocated by his pain.

Judai kept getting ready for this lunch date of his, making some last minute adjustments before deciding he was as ready as he'd ever be and heading out to get the girl.

* * *

Judai knocked on Asuka's door. "Hey, Asuka!"

"Oh! Uh, Judai... One minute!" she called.

Twenty minutes later, she was still in her room. Yubel was getting a really bad feeling.

_"__Judai...,"_ she said, sounding nervous.

_Relax. It's okay,_ he told her.

Asuka opened the door, wearing a dress with a flowing green skirt, the bodice of which was lighter and boasted swirling designs of the same shade as the skirt. She had a white hair clip in her hair and white flats.

_"__Judai!"_ Yubel exclaimed.

Judai took one look at her and turned as red as a tomato. "Uh..."

"I'm sorry I kept you. So, you ready?" she asked with a smile.

"Uh, yeah," he answered. "You look...amazing, by the way."

_"__Judai, you idiot!"_ Yubel panicked. _"Get _out_ of here before—you know! _That_ happens! Judai!"_

"Great! Let's go, then," Asuka said, walking off.

As Judai followed her, Yubel smacked herself in the face. _"That's it. I'm hibernating til the end of time..."_

_"__Kuri," _Winged Kuriboh agreed, not wanting to see Judai so crushed that even he and Yubel could no longer bear it. The two disappeared, intending never to reappear before the brunette.


	17. Confessions Over Lunch

**A/N: New chapter! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX or Yugioh 5D's.**

* * *

As she walked down the hall with Judai, Asuka said, "So, you're probably wondering why I'm dressed like this. Well, let's just say, it's for a good cause, okay?"

Unsure what cause she was talking about, Judai hesitated before he said, "Okay."

The two entered the cafeteria, where Sho was eating. Upon their arrival, Sho's attention snapped to them, and he ran for his life, sweating.

"What was that about?" Asuka asked, slightly stunned.

"Apparently he paid Manjoume to put my clothes in that bathroom so that I'd run into you, and now he thinks I'm gonna kill him," Judai answered casually.

Asuka laughed. "Well, _are_ you?"

He closed his eyes, smirking. "No."

"Well, that's good. 'Cause most guys would." She laughed some as she said, "Are you saying you just forgave him like that?"

Judai grinned and answered, "Well, he's doing such a good job of punishing himself, I don't have to do anything. Though I wasn't going to in the first place, but he doesn't seem to remember that much about me."

Asuka laughed some more, then asked, "So, you're _not_ mad, then?"

"Not _that_ mad!" Judai answered, still grinning.

As Asuka laughed again, the smell of food reached Judai's nose. But not just any food—one of his favorites.

"...Is that...fried shrimp?" he asked, sniffing the air.

The unseen spirit grinned, gesturing to the shrimp, and said, _"And there goes all his focus and maturity, folks!"_

Asuka blinked. "Why?" she asked.

Somewhat dreamily, Judai said, "I love fried shrimp..."

"Well, why not go get some?" she asked with a grin. "We came here to eat, after all."

With those words, Judai ran to get some of the delectable seafood.

The spirit grinned again. _"See?"_ he asked no one in particular as he pointed to Judai snatching up a bunch of fried shrimp.

Asuka just stood there for a few minutes, watching in awe, before she laughed and followed him over to the food stand. Once they both had their lunches—Judai's being nothing but shrimp—they headed to an empty table, where Judai proceeded to scarf down space shrimp.

"Wow! You must _really_ love those!" Asuka exclaimed, seeing that he was scarfing the shrimp down faster than any other food she'd ever seen him eat.

Judai stopped eating for a second and nodded quickly, then went right back to scarfing down food. Asuka laughed, watching him eat.

As she watched, she suddenly got the feeling that she had seen this behavior countless times: during duels, meals, time with friends... _This must be who he _really_ is. Compared to how he acts most of the time these days, he's a completely different person...and it's partly my fault..._

As she thought about how she had tried to use him earlier that day, those mistakes he had mentioned she had made in the future, and...something else she wasn't sure how she knew about, she couldn't help but feel guilty.

She looked down. "Judai, I am _so_ sorry."

He stopped, swallowed his food, and asked, "Huh? What for?"

"Everything. Everything I did or _will_ do to you in the future! I mean, I..."

Judai cocked his head, not sure where this was coming from. "You what?"

"I did several horrible things to you!" she exclaimed as memories—from her future?—came rushing back. "Not just those three, I betrayed you in Dark World, hit you afterward believing you to be a jerk, misunderstood you during that tag duel thing, _never _saw how much _pain_ and _guilt_ you were feeling in high school, _then_, afterward, I cut off our friendship when you _really _needed me and married another man! I should have at least married you to repay you for all I'd done! You were a good friend to me, and I abandoned you! How could I be so cruel!?" Drowning in guilt over what she would do, she was on the verge of tears by the end.

"Asuka. It's okay."

"No, it's not!" she protested. She began listing all the things she had done to him. At least, all that she could remember. "1) I should have supported you in Dark World. You needed to be shown that our deaths _weren't _your fault because, honestly, they weren't!"

At least, not from what she could tell with her scattered memories.

"2) I should have _never _hit you like that since it was obviously severe scarring that caused you to act like that, and I should have tried to keep reasoning with you instead."

When a new threat had come to the island during their third year, Judai had gotten a bit rough with her brother, trying to get answers out of him. She'd said he had changed, but, now that she was thinking about it, it probably _was_ severe scarring. After what had happened in Dark World—or, rather, what she could remember of it—she couldn't blame him for being anxious to find out how to deal with a new threat.

"3. Since I should have known about the scarring when you said that during our tag duel, I should have been more understanding and _helpful_ so that you could get back on your feet instead of knocking you down even more."

He had said he had been making sure they didn't lose and she should trust him. After what had happened in Dark World—from what she could remember—that was a logical thing for him to say...if he was still thinking losing could kill him.

"4) Had I paid attention to the scarring, I should have been helping you through it, and—"

"Asuka!" Judai called, trying to get her attention.

"Let me finish. The last one's the most important one!"

"...Fine," he said. _Then I'll refute all your points..._

If Yubel had been paying attention, she probably would have gaped at him for using such a big word.

Asuka took a deep breath and said, "When you told me you weren't aging, I should have _never_ left you like that. Sure, we'd be separated in death, but that shouldn't have stopped me from enjoying you in life! I mean, you're at least 18, so I still could have... Well, you know..." She looked down, blushing slightly.

Judai stared for a moment, waiting to see if she would add anything else. Finally, he said, "If that's all, let me say _my_ piece. 1) You weren't the only one in Dark World who said that I had betrayed you all. Besides, thinking back on it, those runes inside of you probably didn't help any."

He hadn't thought about it at the time, but Yubel had since told him that the runes had played on his friend's emotions, making them even stronger. Knowing that they had been manipulated by those runes had eased some of the hurt from their words that day.

"2) I needed _somebody_ to snap me out of it before I hurt your brother. If you'd kept trying to reason with me, I might have hurt him or something. 3) You _did_ help, Asuka. It just took me a little too long to get the message."

He _had_ been being rough with Fubuki, and she'd commented on him not having as much fun as he usually did during their tag duels. If he'd gotten the message a bit sooner, he may actually have paid attention, and they could have avoided their little feud.

"Okay. 1) What runes, and 2) you did?" she asked.

"I'm hating this selective memory of yours," Judai said, looking at her lamely. Muttering, he added, "Then again, I don't know if you guys were actually all there when that duel happened..." Louder, he continued, "And, yes, otherwise that duel would have ended with you and Kenzan as partners. I got it about the time you really got mad." He grinned and finished, "I'm slow like that."

She looked at him for a few moments before saying, "I notice you didn't counter the rest of it..."

It took a moment for Judai to find the words to say, "That couldn't have been easy for either of us. It's not something you should be blaming yourself for." Silently, he added, _Though thinking about it still hurts like hell... Shut up about it, already!_

Asuka stared at her hands folded in her lap. "Yes, I can."

"Well, you shouldn't," Judai reiterated.

Asuka pounded her hands on the table and leaned forward, glaring at him with tear-filled eyes. "Oh, yes, I should! Sure, I'd lose you eventually, but, in the meantime, we could have done so much more together! Tell me how long we were apart because of that!? How much time was wasted!? Well!?"

_...Fuck, she has to ask, doesn't she?_ Judai thought, staring at her.

As if to answer his unspoken question, Asuka kept glaring at him, her eyes demanding an answer. Judai lowered his eyes and stared at the table.

"...Eight years...," he said quietly. _Eight years, two months, ten days, five hours and forty minutes, to be exact..._

"And that's eight wasted years, thanks to me! The ones to follow weren't much better, since I got married, were they!?"

He didn't answer, still staring at the table.

"Well!?" she demanded.

Seeing his eyes well up with tears, Asuka got her answer. She sat back as he fought to keep the tears from falling.

"I thought so," she said. "Judai, you had feelings for me that you never got to share. And, based on what you've said about us, and what I somehow know about you, well, I..."

He glanced at her.

Asuka considered carefully what she should say next. Finally, she said, "I think my future self was in love with you, too. But she couldn't stand losing you like that, so she walked away. She forced herself to forget those feelings, which took her awhile to do, then moved on to a new relationship to finish the healing process. After she did _that,_ she felt okay with losing you and could see you again. But that was _wrong!_ There's one thing she _still _could have done, and she'd at _least_ have that!"

Eyes still bright with tears, Judai cocked his head slightly, looking at her questioningly.

After another moment, she clarified, "She could have married you and had your kids. That way, you two could have had a happy life together til the end, and she'd have a piece of you to take with her when she died." Silently, she amended, _Okay, they'd join her when _they_ died._ Aloud, she added, "Granted, it's not as good as the real you, but at least it's better than nothing, right? And you'd never have had those lingering regrets..."

He just stared, still absorbing that.

"So, you see. You _can_ blame me for that one..."

"Asuka..."

She lowered her head, starting to cry. "Forgive me, Judai... I'm such..." She trailed off, the words lost in her sobs.

Judai arose from his seat, walked around to her side of the table, and pulled her into his arms. She hugged him back, holding on tight as the tears kept coming.

Stroking her hair a bit, Judai said, "Heck, you aren't even the one who did all of that. That all happens in the future, and it's not set in stone. Knowing what's coming makes it easier to change it."

Her breath hitched, and she looked up at him.

"_You_ don't even know me yet, technically. So you haven't done anything wrong," he told her. "If you're feeling this bad about how things turned out, you still have the chance to change it, even if this whole mission fails."

Asuka wiped away the tears and nodded. "Okay."

Judai smiled at her.

After a moment, she asked, "You going to finish those last few shrimps, then?"

"Oh! Right!" he said hurrying back to his seat—and his lunch.

Asuka smiled, watching him scarf down what was left of his meal. _At least he seems to understand now. I just hope he forgives me for what I've done—or, rather, _haven't_ done—so I _can_ do the right thing if I must. I just _really_ hope it doesn't come to that..._

Having watched all of this go down, the spirit stared, speechless, for quite awhile.

_"__Whoa...,"_ he said at last. _"I did _not_ see that coming... So _that's_ why she's here. Now maybe he can finally feel better about his past. Is that also why Sho's here helping out?" _he wondered. _"They're here to make amends for all the pain they caused him. To help him heal. Who knew? Well, besides, Yusei, that is." _He was pretty sure Yusei knew everything at this point. As another idea occurred to him, he couldn't help but worry. _"But...does that mean that's the reason for this mission? The reason the scale finally turned into a magic time-traveling stone? Then, is he _still_ meant to live like this? That's not fair!"_

His friend tried to calm him down, saying he might draw attention to himself. Besides, maybe helping Judai heal was only a part of the reason, and retrieving the card was the rest.

_"__All I can say is I better be wrong about _that_ one!"_ the spirit responded, horrified that his friend could be meant to suffer for all eternity. _"Because that's just not right."_

* * *

After lunch, Judai and Asuka walked down the hall together, heading back to her room.

"So, how was your shrimp-filled lunch?" she asked with a giggle.

"I love fried shrimp," he answered, sounding satisfied.

Asuka laughed. "I noticed!" she said, smiling. The smile faded as she added, "Uh, Judai, about what I said to you..."

Judai looked at her, a bit anxious. _Oh, please don't tell me she's gonna start crying again!_

Asuka hesitated—little did Judai know she was worried that _he'd_ start crying. "You gonna be okay?" she asked, eyes closed.

He smiled. For the first time in a long time, his voice was sincere when he said, "Yeah, Asuka. I'll be okay."

Asuka looked at him, shocked. "R-really!? But I thought—"

"I know how that kind of guilt can weigh on a person, Asuka, and the fact that you're feeling that bad over something your future self did—or does—to me tells me you do care," he said, cutting her off. "I mean, for awhile, I was pretty mad at you," he confessed. "Here I was with the problem, and you were telling me we couldn't be friends anymore. I felt like some sort of leper. Knowing what was going on there makes me feel a bit better, and knowing that you care so much." He smiled at her as he finished.

"Judai..." The two stopped outside of her room, and she asked, "So I didn't just cause you more pain? I mean, we just had a date. A _real_ date, and you may still..." She trailed off, fearing that finishing that would only hurt him.

In answer, Judai pulled her closer and kissed her. Her eyes widened.

_How's _this _going to effect him if we fail!?_ she wondered fleetingly. _But...he's a good kisser..._

She closed her eyes, joining in on the kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck. As the kiss deepened, she saw sparks fly.

Feeling a completely new sensation—one that _she_ could remember from her past life as a human—Yubel awoke and went into a total panic. _"JUDAI! ARE YOU MAD!? WHAT IF WE _DO_ FAIL!? YOU'RE KILLING YOUR SOUL HERE!"_ Gentler, she asked, _"Do you want to make the pain worse, you idiot? Quit it."_

Asuka pulled back, blushing. That had been an insanely good kiss, but...thinking about it, she hadn't actually met Judai yet...and here she was, making out with him. _Time travel...is so confusing..._

Judai leaned over slightly to look her in the eye. "Asuka?" he said, his tone suggesting the additional words "Earth to."

"I...I just kissed a guy I...," she said, still stunned.

Yubel was ready to cry. If they failed now, that one was gonna hurt Judai like _hell._

"...And I..."

Judai cocked his head, not sure what she was saying, and waited for her to finish a sentence.

"...And he's from... Oh, boy. What was I thinking?_ Was _I thinking? I mean, I..."

"Asuka," he tried again.

She stared for another moment before saying, "Uh, anyway, glad you enjoyed yourself so much..." Slowly, still blushing furiously, she backed into her room. "See. You. Later...," she said, closing the door very slowly.

Judai stared for a moment, wondering what that was about. "Huh..."

Seemingly out of nowhere, Yubel started crying.

"Yubel?" Judai asked.

It took a moment before she asked, _"Why?"_

"...Huh?"

_"__Why did you do it? Did you forget why we're even here in the first place? Why your new friends felt they had to bring you back here to make things right? Did you forget your curse!? What happens if you miss me? What happens if there's nothing we can do? What happens when we go back to the future with the others? Did you ever think of that while you were off making things worse!? I mean—"_

"I'll be okay. I've worked out the worst of my issues with Asuka, so stop worrying so much. It's okay."

She stared for a minute. _"But what about that lingering loneliness you'll always feel not being with her, or _any_ of your THOUSANDS of DECEASED friends, Judai!?"_ she finally demanded, still crying. _"Soon Yusei, Crow, Jack, and Aki will join them, and then you'll be all alone again! With nothing but their memories and _this _memory to keep you company! Still think it'll be okay, kid!?"_

"...If we fail, it doesn't matter how many memories I make, Yubel," he told her. "Spending time with Asuka won't make things any worse than making new friends that I didn't even want in the first place, and that's going to keep happening. Apparently I should just go be a hermit somewhere... 'Course, my luck, then the place I live will become a tourist attraction."

_"__Probably..."_

"So regardless of what I do here, if we fail, things are just gonna keep getting worse for me, anyway. Why delay the inevitable?"

_"__Judai...,"_ she sobbed.

Winged Kuriboh appeared, joining Yubel in Tear Land. _"Kurii..."_

"Hey, don't be like that," Judai said to them both. "We still don't know how this is gonna end, right?"

Neither answered, which told Judai that they were pretty damned sure this was going to fail miserably.

_"__He's right," _the spirit said to himself. _"What am I so worried about? I planned this. I should have more faith in them. I know they won't fail! Heh. Thanks, Judai." _He looked at the brunette._ "You almost rubbed off on me there. But this was my plan, and I won't let it fail! You're getting out of this no matter what! I promise, pal, I'll end this. Just you wait."_

"Hey. Judai!" Jack said, coming up behind Judai. "Look what I caught for you."

"Huh?" Judai asked, turning to see what Jack had—and wondering why _he_ should want it.


	18. A Successful Date

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX or Yugioh 5D's.**

* * *

Jack stood there, an evil grin on his face, holding Sho up by the back of his shirt.

"Uh, hi, Aniki...," the boy said, sweating and grinning nervously. He laughed slightly.

Judai stared for a moment before saying, "Put him down, Jack."

"One second," he said. "He's got something he wants to tell you, right, shrimp?" He gave Sho a somewhat threatening grin.

"S-sorry I paid Manjoume to throw your clothes in that bathroom... B-but it was for a good cause!" He was still grinning nervously.

"Okay," Judai said. "Yeah, that's fine, Sho."

"Well, _he_ might be fine with that, but if I _ever_ hear about either of you guys doing something so _disgusting ever_ again, you're _both_ dead, you hear me!?" Jack threatened.

"Y-yes, sirree! I h-hear you loud and clear!" Sho stammered. "I'll n-never even t-think of it..."

"Good." He put Sho down. "Now, if you'll excuse me...," he said, walking off.

Sho breathed a sigh of relief, then stared at Judai for a few minutes. "So, uh... How'd your lunch date go?" he asked, still sounding a little nervous.

"Great, actually, thanks for asking."

"R-really!? Th-that's good, then. So I guess that means you're not upset? I mean, that _was_ Asuka, and she _is_ one of the friends you lost in the future, and—"

"No, Sho, I'm not upset."

Slightly stunned, Sho stared another moment before smiling and saying, "Okay. Good to hear."

* * *

Later that day, Judai briefly stopped by Yusei's room.

"Hey, Yusei, here's your shirt, thanks for letting me borrow it, good luck on your date tomorrow!" Judai said, popping his head into the room and tossing the shirt onto the bed.

Yusei didn't even have time to register the fact that Judai was there before he was gone again.

"...You're welcome."

* * *

The next afternoon, Yusei knocked on Aki's door...at the time he was supposed to be there for their date. "Aki? You ready?" he called.

"Oh!" she called through the door, sounding surprised. "You're here already!? Uh... Can you give me a few extra minutes?"

Yusei sighed, knowing what that meant—she wasn't ready yet because she had expected him to be insanely late. "Okay. So when should I come back?" he asked.

"Just wait there!" she called. "I ain't taking any chances!"

Yusei sighed. "Okay."

* * *

An hour later, he was still waiting on her. "Aki? Are you about done in there?" he asked, a bit annoyed.

"Almost! Just one minute!"

Exactly a minute later, Aki opened the door. Yusei blushed at the sight of her.

She was wearing a one-shoulder, deep-red, minidress with a vine design on the bodice. One of the vines connected to a rose on her left shoulder. Black leggings went up her legs, stopping at her mid-thighs. Her shoes were red flats, held on by straps wrapped around her ankles. She had black tube gloves running up to her elbows. The longer strands of her hair that she normally let fall free about her face were curled loosely and held back by matching rose hair clips. She'd put on makeup as well—a light dusting of pink eyeshadow on her eyelids, a coat of lip gloss, and a bit of rouge.

"Wow," Yusei said. "You look great. I guess that was worth the wait."

"Ha ha. Funny," she said. "So, where are we going? And was Crow here earlier, or—"

"I haven't seen Crow _or_ Jack all day. So far, I haven't had a single problem getting ready. Well, aside from waiting on you," he teased.

Aki nudged his shoulder playfully, getting a laugh out of him.

"Anyway, I found an interesting place we might enjoy going to on the other side of the ark," he said. "So, if you're ready, then we should get going."

"Okay, sure!" she said happily. "Let's just hope nothing goes wrong again..."

Her mood fell instantly as she expected something to go wrong like usual.

"I promise you. It will all work out. Come on."

* * *

Of all the places to take her, he took her to a bowling alley. She gasped, staring around at the lanes and the racks of balls.

"W-what is _this_ doing here!?" she asked, shocked. "We're in _space,_ for crying out loud!"

Yusei laughed. "I guess the workers needed something to do for fun, so KaibaCorp put it in."

She just stared for a few seconds before asking, "What kind of a research facility _is_ this?"

Yusei laughed again. "Anyway, you ever been bowling before?"

"Only once, when I was really little."

"Then what do you say to a game? I bet you'd be really good at it."

"Well, I did manage to score five strikes my first time, so why not? Let's see if I've still got it!" she said eagerly.

"Great! I'll go get us some shoes. What size do you wear?"

"Seven and a half."

Yusei nodded. He walked her over to one of the lanes. "Wait here. I'll be right back."

Aki sat down at the table and watched, smiling, as he walked over to the counter. So far, this date was actually turning out alright. After retrieving two pairs of shoes, Yusei returned, handing a pair to Aki.

"Here you go," he said.

"Thanks!" Aki said, taking the bowling shoes and putting them on.

The two then headed off in search of bowling balls. Once they had found some, Yusei went to set up the scoreboard.

"You wanna go first, or should I?" he asked before entering their names into the machine.

"You can go first," she said, sounding a bit nervous. "I'll watch."

Yusei smiled. "Okay." He entered their names into the machine, setting up for the game. "Watch this."

He got up and waited for a moment until the screen told him it was his turn, then picked up his ball and threw it down the lane, showing off slightly. To Aki's surprise, he got a strike.

"Wow, Yusei!" she said. "That's amazing!"

"It's all in the wrists," he said, clapping his hands together as if to wipe off dust.

"Okay! Now let's see what I can do!" Aki said as her name popped up on screen and the pins reset.

"Be my guest."

Aki walked up to the lane, looking nervous. She picked up her ball, took a deep breath, and rolled it down the lane. For someone who hadn't bowled since she was little, she did surprisingly well—she got all but one pin on the first throw.

"Not bad, Aki!" Yusei told her. "That's a good start for a beginner!"

"I guess. But I left the five pin up..."

"That's nothing. You should have seen what happened the first time Crow played. All he got were gutters."

Aki laughed at the thought of that. "Well, guess that makes me a pro, then!"

"It sure does!"

Aki smiled a bit and took her second shot, barely missing the final pin.

"Aw, man! It was so close, too!"

Yusei laughed. "That's a hard one to get. You're doing really good, Aki!"

Aki smiled. "Thanks."

The game continued, eventually ending in Yusei's win. Aki did manage to get seven strikes, though, and a spare, but Yusei beat her by one strike—and he got the infamous 7-10 Split, which he managed to turn into a spare.

"Wow!" Aki said after that shot. "That was amazing! How'd you do that!?"

"Years of practice," Yusei answered. "Who knows, maybe someday you'll be able to do it, too." He paused for a moment and grinned. "Assuming you don't leave the five pin up."

Aki nudged his side—she'd left that pin up three times up to that point in the game. Yusei just laughed.

* * *

"So, how was it?" Yusei asked as they made their way to the cafeteria after their game. "Am I still in trouble?"

Aki shook her head. "No. Not anymore! Though one more crack about me and five pins and you just might be!" She glared at him playfully.

Yusei laughed. The two walked into the cafeteria, where Aki saw an unexpected couple sitting together at a table. Judai was dressed in black pants and shirt, along with his red jacket, as usual. Asuka wore a blue dress, casual as can be.

Aki was slightly stunned. "Hey, isn't that...Judai and Asuka?" she asked. _I guess that means their lunch date yesterday went okay._

Yusei looked, too. "Why, yes. Yes it is. Hmm." He looked thoughtful. "Wonder what they're doing?" He walked over. "Hey, guys? Mind if we join you?" he asked—this was the only open table...in the entire room.

"Yusei," Judai said, starting slightly. "Aki. Yeah, sure."

"Go ahead. We don't mind," Asuka said, smiling.

"Are you sure?" Aki asked. "I'd hate to intrude."

Asuka turned a bit red. "Well, uh..."

"No intrusion," Judai said. "Go ahead."

"I do believe I should ask Asuka first, if you don't mind," Aki said, somewhat threateningly.

Judai shut his mouth, slightly scared. _Why are all the girls I know scary? Well, sometimes, at least._

Asuka, still red, sat there a bit before she said, "It's fine."

"So does that mean that—"

"Uh-huh..."

Yusei looked from Aki to Asuka and back again, totally lost. "Okay? Any idea what's going on, pal?" he asked Judai.

Judai looked at the girls, too. "Not a one..."

Asuka stared at the floor.

Aki stood there another moment before saying, "Alright, then. I guess it's okay."

She sat down. Judai scooted over to make room for Yusei to take a seat next to her, majorly confused.

"So, how _did_ yesterday go?" Aki asked the blond. "Did you—"

"Yes," Asuka cut her off. "And he understands. In fact, he..." She sweat, still looking at the floor and blushing.

"Aki," Yusei said. "What are you guys talking about?"

Judai cocked his head, still curious. Asuka kept staring at the floor, so there was no answer there.

"Oh, you know, Yusei," Aki said. "Just girl stuff, right, Asuka?"

Asuka didn't answer, too embarrassed to speak.

Yusei looked at the girls questioningly.

Judai kept staring at Asuka. She'd been this way yesterday, too, after he'd kissed her. _Maybe I shouldn't have done that,_ he thought.

Asuka shook her head, trying to clear it. "Right. About that, did you guys get to—"

Now it was Aki's turn to blush. "Yes. We did."

Asuka grinned evilly, looking ready for revenge. "And no one—"

"No. Not at all."

Yusei looked from one to the other of the girls again, then leaned over and whispered in Judai's ear, "I think we just leaped into another dimension, pal. One where girls can read each other's minds? Or do _you_ know what they're talking about?"

Judai whispered back, "If I had to guess, I'd say they were talking yesterday. That's why they seem to know what the other's gonna say. I just don't know when or why..."

"Good," Asuka said. "So I was right, then?"

Aki laughed a little. "Yeah, you were. He even showed up on time today."

Asuka smiled. "Glad to hear it. Sounds like _your _luck has changed."

Aki smiled back and said, "Yeah. I suppose it has!"

Both girls laughed. Yusei sweat, now knowing what they were talking about.

Aki whispered to Asuka, "So, about what you were saying..."

Asuka blushed again. "'Bout what?" she said before laughing awkwardly.

"What _did_ he do, hmm?"

Asuka blushed deeper. "Oh! That! Well, he..."

Yusei turned to Judai and said, "Okay. Now I'm lost again. What did you do that was so embarrassing?"

Judai didn't speak, not sure it was wise to say that he'd kissed a girl from the past. Jack had a point, after all—they weren't supposed to be starting relationships with people from the past.

Asuka whispered in Aki's ear, earning a shriek from the red-head.

"No way! He didn't!?" she demanded excitedly.

"Didn't what?" Yusei asked.

Aki ignored him and kept talking to Asuka, asking, "So, how was it!? Is he a good kisser!?"

Asuka was staring at the floor again, totally embarrassed.

"What!?" Yusei exclaimed. He looked to Judai for confirmation.

Judai just sat there, silent.

"You didn't?" Yusei asked, looking at the brunette in disbelief.

"I'm getting the feeling I shouldn't have?" he said questioningly.

Asuka looked up at him.

"Well, why not?" Aki asked. "Didn't you like it? I mean, she obviously did!" She pointed at Asuka, smiling.

Asuka sweat and blushed deeper still.

Judai stared for a moment. "Is that so?" he said at last, grinning.

And, yet again, Asuka blushed deeper. She couldn't get much redder.

Judai kept staring at her, grinning. Yusei just stared at them all, still rather lost.

"Oh, Asuka," Aki said, trying to get her attention. "Judai's kissing Yusei."

"W-what!?" Asuka asked, startled.

Yusei paled. "Aki!"

Red in the face, Judai bristled at the accusation. "Hey!"

Aki laughed. "What? It got her attention!"

Asuka sweat. _This is humiliating._

"I'm not interested in your boyfriend, that's what!" Judai said indignantly.

Aki laughed. "Right, my bad."

Asuka just stared for a moment. "What?"

Yusei was silent, stunned. "That's...not funny, Aki," he said at last. "Don't ever say that again, okay?"

"Okay," Aki said, grinning.

Asuka looked at them questioningly.

Yusei and Aki went to get some food, leaving a confused Asuka and a rather insulted Judai.

"Judai, what'd I miss?" Asuka asked, having only half heard it.

"Aki said that I was kissing Yusei, which I wasn't, so she managed to disturb both of us while implying that her boyfriend is cheating on her _during_ a date, all in one breath," Judai answered, sounding indignant.

As future memories of Judai hugging many boys—a teacher, Manjoume, Sho—came to mind, she asked, "You wouldn't, would you?"

"Kiss? Not in this lifetime," he answered.

Asuka stared, still not totally convinced. "So, then, you're not..."

"No!"

"...Okay, if you're sure..."

"One hundred and ten percent..."

Muttering, Asuka said, "I hope so..." Thinking about his wording, she got worried again. "B-but, wait! 'In _this_ lifetime!?' B-but _that's _about to change! How do I know the current you won't—"

"I'll let you in on a little secret that you absolutely can't tell anyone, especially me...," Judai cut her off, looking very much annoyed. "I liked you from the moment I saw you. Heck, I'm pretty sure you'll see that when you hear what I've got to say the first time we meet. So, no, I am not in love with Yusei. Or Johan. Or Manjoume. Or any other guy you can think of."

Asuka blinked. "Johan?"

Judai smacked himself in the face. _I have _got_ to stop naming people they haven't met yet!_

"So, this Johan...he's pretty important to you, isn't he?" she asked.

"He was one of my best friends. You guys always said we were twins."

Asuka stared. "Okay," she said at last. "So, Manjoume..." She sounded concerned again. _Why would Judai mention him...unless..._

"Just making sure you aren't getting any stupid ideas," he said. "That would definitely be the worst..."

"...And Johan, or Sho...?"

_"__Hey! Quit it already!"_ the spirit protested, unheard by any. _"That's just sick!"_

"I'm so defensive about this because Johan's parents thought Johan was gay, and they thought he and I were together because he never hung out with any girls until he was, like, 25!" Judai snapped, blushing furiously. "Happy!?"

_"__What he said!" _the spirit snapped. _"Got that!?"_

His friend sweat, thinking that the other spirit was going to get himself noticed at this rate.

"Okay, and what about Sho?"

"No!" Judai snapped.

"You sure? 'Cause I kinda feel like..."

Judai closed his eyes, looking as though he was trying to calm himself down. "Asuka?" he said after a few moments. "If either one of us is interested, it's him. I'm not. I assure you."

"...Okay."

"Uh," Yusei said as he and Aki came back with their food. "Guys?" Are you having fun over there?"

"No," Judai said, looking testily at Yusei. "Not really, 'honey.'" The last word had heavy sarcasm.

Yusei turned blue-gray. "That's not funny, Judai."

Aki laughed.

"Aki! It's not funny!"

Asuka joined her. "No, but your reaction to it is!" she said.

Yusei blushed, realizing he was acting like a child.

_"__Now _that_ I'll agree with!"_ the spirit laughed. _"Johan being gay, however, not in _any_ lifetime. I promise."_

Now his friend started laughing.

_"__Hey!"_ he protested. _"Cut that out!"_

"So, anyway...," Aki said.

And the date continued, with a slightly uncomfortable Yusei and a still rather insulted Judai.


	19. Change of Plans

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX or Yugioh 5D's.**

* * *

Yusei walked Aki back to her room. She leaned on his shoulder along the way, happy about the way this date had gone down.

"Well, Yusei," she said as they neared her room, "I've got to admit, _that_ was a fun date."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Glad it all went according to plan this time. Well, except for the part where we had to sit with Judai and Asuka for dinner."

"I saw nothing wrong with that. Why, if anything, that _saved_ our date! I bet being with them kept the trouble at bay, like it usually does."

Yusei grinned. "Yeah? Then why was there no trouble before we met up with them? I'd say we finally got past that stream of problems awhile ago, and that date proved it to me. We're through being unlucky, Aki. So, from now on, it's just gonna be you and me, and nothing's gonna stop us from having a good time. Let's make the next date even better than this one. What do you say?"

Aki nodded with a smile. "I'd say it was real lucky, us meeting Judai like that. Why, if not for him, we may never have been able to enjoy a moment like this. We sure owe him a big thank you."

"And tomorrow, we can repay that debt," Yusei said. "But, for now, you should get some rest. Tomorrow's a big day."

Aki nodded. "Right." She opened her door and turned to enter, then stopped and glanced back at her boyfriend. "Yusei. Thanks for everything! I haven't had that much fun in a long time!"

"No problem," he said, looking at her longingly.

She was looking at him in the same way.

"Aki..."

"Yusei..."

The two slowly approached each other, then Yusei grabbed her and pulled her closer, leaning in for a kiss. Aki wrapped her arms around his neck and joined in. He wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her slightly off the ground, as he deepened the kiss. Her leg lifted up slightly in response.

It only lasted a moment, but it felt like an eternity to the two of them. Yusei put her down and let go, both blushing. Aki's hands flew up to her cheeks, now more red than the rose she loved so much.

"Oh, wow... That was..." She smiled.

Yusei smiled, too. "Yeah..."

"Well, goodnight," Aki told him, entering her room.

"Goodnight, sweet rose."

Aki blushed deeper as she closed the door, one hand still resting on her cheek. Feeling lighter than air, Yusei made his way back to his room.

When he got there, though, he was called to the lab. The reason turned his heart to lead.

* * *

"Judai! Judai!" Yusei called, banging on Judai's and Sho's door. "Get up! We've got trouble!"

Sho opened the door as Judai was still asleep. It was, after all, the middle of the night.

"What!?" Sho asked, startled. "What's going on!?"

Yusei stormed over to Judai's bed and shook the brunette violently. "Come on, man! Get up already! This is urgent!"

"W-what!?" Judai stammered. "What's going on!?"

Yusei stopped shaking him and answered, "It's the capsule! Something's gone wrong, and it's off course! It's heading towards the planet!"

Judai sat up, eyes wide. "What!?"

"Aniki!"

_"__No!" _the spirit cried. _"This can't be! Not now! They're so close! No!"_

Judai lowered his head, trembling. "Damn it, I knew this would happen!"

"Come on! You should see this for yourself."

"Do I have to?"

Yusei didn't answer. He just stood there, his eyes beckoning Judai to follow him back to the lab. After what seemed like an eternity, Judai complied.

* * *

Yusei, Judai, and Sho came running into the lab. Everyone else was already there, looking at the monitor in horror. Professor Lee was finishing explaining what had happened.

"So, as you can see," Lee said, "after crossing paths with that meteor, the capsule was bumped and sent floating towards the planet. It should be pulled in by the Earth's gravity soon."

"Oh, no!" Asuka and Aki cried.

"Great," Manjoume said sarcastically.

"So, we failed?" Crow asked. "But that's not fair!"

"Life's not fair," Judai said, staring at the monitor as he walked up to stand beside him. "I've learned that by now."

"Don't despair just yet, my boy," Lee said. "There's still good news! The capsule isn't too far from here right now, so we should still be able to get it if we hurry."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Yusei asked.

"Simple. We send out a rocket to follow it and—"

"And what!?" Jack cut him off. "Hope we can somehow catch it _before_ it makes contact with the Earth's atmosphere!? Is that even possible!?"

"No," Judai said, dejected. "No more than this was ever possible to begin with."

Asuka looked at him sadly. "Judai..."

"Let me finish," Lee said. "There's a slight chance of us being able to send someone down with it if we can just get close enough. That way, we won't lose sight of it again."

"But, sir! You don't understand!" Aki protested.

"If that capsule goes down to Earth, then it's over," Judai said, sounding strangely calm considering the situation at hand. "We've got to get it before it crashes and _burns._"

"Hmm." Lee looked thoughtful. "Well, I guess there's nothing we can do... It looks like our fate's sealed now."

Everyone looked away, the green-eyed spirit included.

He cursed under his breath, _"Damn. All that hard work for nothing. Why'd I even try?"_

Asuka and Sho hesitated a moment before both looked at Judai and said, "Judai...?"

Another moment of silence, followed by Judai cursing, "Fuck..."

"I'm sorry, pal," Yusei said. "We tried."

"Yeah..."

Although she was pretty sure she already knew the answer, Asuka asked, "Judai...you gonna be okay...?"

"...Maybe...," he answered, although he was pretty sure he wouldn't be.

Sho hugged him. "Aniki... I'm so sorry..." He started crying, still holding onto Judai.

Judai's eyes teared up as well.

_"__Judai...," _Yubel said sadly. After another moment, an idea hit her, though. _"W-wait a minute!"_

_Huh?_ Judai asked silently as the tears ran down his cheeks. _What?_

_"__Duh, you idiot! We can still do this! You just have to be the one to follow me!"_

His eyes widened. _Huh?_

The spirit snapped his fingers, realizing what Yubel was saying. _"She's right! We _haven't _failed yet! Not if he does _that_, that is! Hurry up and tell him, Yubel, so you guys can launch that shuttle!"_

His friend nodded frantically, cheering them on as well.

_"__Your powers, you dolt!"_ Yubel said. _"You can use them to protect me! I can think of one amazing trap card you've got that could definitely do the job!"_

Judai couldn't believe he hadn't thought of that. With his powers, he could bring his cards to life. If he did that, then...

"Change of plans!" he exclaimed suddenly. "Get me out there now!"

"Judai!" everyone cried, surprised.

"As you wish," Lee said. "I'll prepare a team for you immediately."

"Judai. Just what are you up to?" Asuka asked.

"You figure out a way to get her?" Aki asked.

"We can still do this, but only if I go after that capsule," he answered. "Using my powers, I can protect her on the way down. That should prevent the worst _and_ make up for some of the crap I've put her through."

Everyone stared for a moment before Yusei nodded.

"Alright, guys, you heard him!" he said. "Let's suit up and get this show on the road!"

"Right!" Aki said.

At the same time, Crow said, "Alright!"

Jack was less enthusiastic when he said, "Right."

Asuka, Sho, and Manjoume were a bit confused, not sure what powers Judai was talking about, but they went along with it anyway. Honestly, the others didn't quite know what he meant either, but Aki's powers as a psychic duelist gave them an idea of what he meant.

* * *

The gang suited up and got into the shuttle, ready to launch out after that card.

"Now, remember," Lee reminded the crew, "we only get one shot at this, so try not to miss."

"Yes, sir!" the pilot said.

"You sure about this, Judai?" Asuka asked. "It sounds kinda dangerous."

"I'm sure."

"But what if something goes wrong and you get yourself killed instead?" Sho asked.

"Then I'll revive, like I always do."

Manjoume humphed. "That's still weird. Where at? Hopefully not the same place you died at."

He was trying not to show that he cared, Judai could tell. Manjoume always acted that way. His concern over where he'd come back wasn't just idol curiosity—he was hoping Judai wouldn't come back in the middle of space if he died in the middle of space.

"Usually near the place I died, but I show up on the ground when I die in the air," Judai answered, not really wanting to think about the event that taught him that. "So, somewhere down there."

Asuka looked at him in concern. "Judai..."

"Alright, everyone!" the pilot said. "Have a seat and buckle up so we can get that card back!"

Everyone took their seats and fastened themselves in, and the pilot launched the shuttle, heading off in the direction of the card's capsule.


	20. Retrieving the Card

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX or Yugioh 5D's.**

* * *

"Our target should be just ahead of us," the pilot said, stopping the thrusters. "But this is as far as we can go." He looked back at Judai and added, "Better get ready, boy."

Judai nodded and got up to head to the pod he would be using to follow Yubel's capsule.

"Judai, be careful," Asuka said, and he stopped and looked back at her. "This isn't going to be an easy ride."

"I know," he said. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."

"Just promise me you will _not_ fail this time," Jack said. "'Cause I'm tired of this mess."

"He'll do fine, Jack," Yusei assured him. "Don't worry." He looked at Judai and added, "Good luck, pal. We'll meet you down there later."

Judai nodded and said, "Yeah."

"Aniki..." Sho hugged him. "Good luck. I hope you succeed."

"Thanks," Judai said, hugging him back. Silently, he added, _I do, too._

"Hate to ruin this touching moment, but you're running out of time, you idiot," Manjoume pointed out.

"He's right, pal!" Crow said. "Get going! We're all behind ya, right, guys!?"

The others all nodded. Crow gave Judai a thumbs up and a wink.

"Thanks, guys."

He climbed into the escape pod and flipped through his deck, looking for the card he would need. He didn't want to waste a moment once he was out there, so he had to have that card ready before the pod was released.

"I hope he knows what he's doing," Sho said.

"I'm sure he does!" Asuka said. "He's got plenty of experience with being the hero, after all."

"Yeah. He'll be okay!" Aki added with certainty.

_"__Oh, he'll be okay, alright,"_ the spirit said to himself. Looking at his friend, he said, _"'Cause we're going with him, pal. Get in that deck before he sees us!"_

His friend nodded, and they both turned into lights and dove into Judai's deck, intent on giving him a secret power boost.

"Alright, boy!" the pilot called. "You ready!?"

"Yeah! I'm ready!" Judai called back.

"Alright! I'm launching you towards the coordinates. Ready, set, and fire!"

He pressed a button, releasing the pod from the shuttle. The pod shot out of the ship, heading full-speed for the planet.

All was calm for a bit before Judai heard a familiar voice crying out in pain.

_"__It hurts!"_ the voice of Yubel—the past Yubel—said. _"Save me, Judai!"_

He wasn't too late. He'd caught up with her, so he still had a chance to save them both some pain.

"Cocoon Veil!" he cried, activating the card.

_"__HUH!?"_ Yubel said, unable to believe her ears.

_"__Spirit of the rainbow!"_ the green-eyed spirit cried before the card activated. _"Hear my call and lend me the power needed to protect that cocoon!"_

Just to be sure this would work, the spirit wanted to give Judai's powers a boost, using his own powers acquired after death. There was no way he was letting them fail, especially not now. They were just too close.

A rainbow aura appeared as the card activated, unnoticed by Judai. A pink chrysalis appeared around Yubel's capsule, with the rainbow glow merging with it. The two tag-along spirits joined with the chrysalis as well, adding their own power to the shield protecting the spirit within. Brought to life by Judai's powers, the card meant to shield against damage did its job perfectly, protecting Yubel as her capsule entered Earth's atmosphere.

_"__W-what _is_ this!?"_ Yubel demanded. _"What's going on!?"_

"Yubel!" Judai called.

_"__J-Judai!? W-where are you!?"_

* * *

The two made it through the worst of the atmosphere with barely a scratch. The chrysalis vanished when the capsule was inside the planet's atmosphere, and the two spirits separated from it, exhausted.

_"__We...did it...pal...,"_ the spirit told his friend. _"She's...safe now..."_

Happy that his plan had worked, the spirit decided to leave the rest up to Judai. His tired friend was in agreement, and the two went back into Judai's deck to rest.

_"__I don't understand!"_ Yubel exclaimed from inside of the capsule as they continued to fall. _"What _was_ that!?"_

"Bit of a long story, really," Judai said. "To make it short, I used my powers to make that card real."

_"__There's that voice again! Judai, is that you!?"_

He smiled to himself—ah, the sky was probably the last place Yubel thought she'd find him...especially since he was coming down from space with her. "Yeah, it's me."

_"__Judai..."_

* * *

They crash landed in a canyon in the middle of a forest. Yubel appeared in spirit form, emerging from her capsule and looking around for Judai

Judai's pod had hit so hard that it was half buried. Judai had to summon Neos to help him get out of the stupid thing. As the white hero appeared, with red lines on his body and a blue stone on his chest, Yubel looked at him, stunned.

_"__W-what?"_ she asked. _"Who are—"_

She didn't have time to finish that. The monster tore open the pod, and a two-tone brunette climbed out.

"Well, that was fun...," he muttered.

Yubel gaped at him, then rubbed her eyes, sure that they were playing tricks on her. When she looked again, however, he was still there.

_"__J-Judai...? Is that really—"_

"Yeah," he cut her off, walking over. "It's me. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Yubel. I never meant..."

He trailed off, not sure what he could say that would make things any better.

_"__Say, something's different about you,"_ she observed, still stunned. _"You feel...like me! Why is that?"_

"Like I said on the way down, long story."

_"__Judai... You came back for me...," _she said, sounding happy. Her mood changed dramatically with her next words, turning to sadness. _"But why'd you send me away in the first place? I thought we were friends."_

"Yubel, you were hurting my other friends," he said, deciding to try this again. "I was hoping that, by sending you into space, you'd absorb some of the power of darkness that the Neo-Spacians were infused with."

Yubel just stared. Well, already that was an improvement over how she had reacted last time he'd told her this.

"Do you understand?" he asked, hoping she would.

_"__I—I'm sorry... I was only trying to—"_

"I know," he cut her off. "But you overreacted. You went after the people who made me cry, but they never meant to. I wouldn't even have been crying that much if I hadn't been a little kid. Besides, because of that, all of my friends got scared and wouldn't duel me anymore."

_"__And why was that so bad? You still had—"_

He really didn't wanna hear that spiel again. "I know. I still had you. But would it really have been so bad for me to have other friends?"

_"__But—"_

"Having other friends doesn't mean that I care for you any less, Yubel. You'll always be my friend, and I'll always love you."

_"__Judai..."_ Yubel smiled at him, glad to hear that.

The other Yubel, the one in Judai's head, spoke in his mind, saying, _"Judai, let's get out of here already. That guy Cobra should be arriving soon to investigate, and I'd hate to be you if _that_ happened."_

Thinking about it, Judai had to agree with Yubel. If he was found after having crashed down from space, it could be problematic. Especially given the fact that he was part duel spirit and had strange powers.

_Right,_ he told that Yubel. To the past one, he said, "I've gotta go, Yubel. But I'll see you again soon, okay?"

_"__Judai! Wait! Please take me with you!" _the past Yubel protested.

Judai stopped, thinking. If he didn't take that card, she might get angry over being abandoned again. Then she'd use Cobra to find her way back to his past self and mess up his life for a different reason.

Seeing no other choice, Judai headed over to get Yubel, intent on finding some way to get that card to his past self.

_"__Good idea,"_ his Yubel said in his mind. _"Can't be sure what will happen now, after all. I mean, we're still here. So..."_

_Yeah... Though I'm not sure,_ he confessed. _If I'm here when time gets changed, am I just gonna end up existing outside of the time stream?_

_"__I don't know!"_ the voice in his head said, exasperated. _"Just make sure our _new_ selves are happy, okay!?"_

_Yeah, okay._


	21. Mission Accomplished

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! Anyway, there's only one chapter left after this. Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX or Yugioh 5D's.**

**Edit: That space in Sho's little panic attack isn't supposed to be there, but fanfiction won't let me remove it.**

* * *

On foot, it took Judai four days to find his way to a nearby town. As he was debating how to get some food, his phone went off.

_Well, so much for eating...,_ he thought, pulling it out of his pocket. Only one person had his number now—Yusei.

"Hey," Judai answered.

"Judai," Yusei said on the other end of the line. "It's me. We made it back to Domino safely. I assume you're okay, too?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay."

"Glad to hear it. So, did you get the card?"

_"__Judai?"_ the past Yubel asked, appearing beside him. _"Who's that?"_

"Yeah, I got her," Judai answered Yusei. Turning to Yubel, he added, "Friend of mine. He helped me find you."

"Great!" Yusei said. "Then mission accomplished, then?"

"Almost. See, I still have to find some way to get this card to...well, me." Silently, he added, _Sounds weird... But, then again, so does my life, so...yeah._

"Great. Care to tell Sho this? I've never seen someone this worked up. And Jack, Manjoume, Crow, and Aki are about ready to throttle him."

Judai smiled to himself, thinking of how Sho would be acting right about now. "Put him on."

A moment later, a frantic Sho said, "Anikiyougetherisshecrazymaddidourplanfailareyouhu rtand—"

The kid was hyperventilating, and his voice was a bit hoarse, as if he were thirsty. Judai figured he'd better cut him off there if he ever wanted to get a word in.

"Sho! It's okay. I got the card, and I'm fine," he said. "Now all I've got to do is find some way to get Yubel to my other self sometime in the future."

"Why not let us do that?" Sho asked, sounding a lot calmer all of a sudden. "We're gonna see you soon, right?"

Judai thought about it for a moment before deciding that he knew nothing about space/time and should leave it to the others. "I'll meet up with you guys, and we'll figure it out then," he finally said. "Okay?"

"Okay!" Sho answered.

"Great. Now go get something to drink, take some deep breaths, maybe take a nap."

"Huh? Wh—" He cut himself off, sounding tired as he said, "O...kay..."

Judai heard a thud on the other end.

"Sho? Sho?" he asked. After a moment of silence, he said, "He's out, isn't he?"

Yusei had, apparently, picked the phone up again—his voice came over the line, saying, "Don't worry. He's fine. So, what's the plan? How do we get that card home to you?"

"Sho suggested sending it with one of them. But I'm not so sure about that idea... You got any thoughts on this?"

With how far they had come, Judai wasn't willing to risk failure now by doing something that may or may not be stupid. Sure, sending Yubel with a friend sounded like a good idea, but, then again, sending her to space had seemed like a good idea at the time, too. One wrong move, and he would still be damned to his eternal hell.

"Hmm... Actually, that could work out quite nicely," Yusei said. "Tell you what. Get back over here, and we'll talk about it more then."

"Okay."

* * *

Over the next few days, Judai made his way back to Domino City just as fast as he could. Once he had arrived, they decided to give the card to Sho. After all, according to Judai, Sho and he would be roommates at Duel Academy. Not to mention the smaller boy's attitude could help to convince Judai not to let that card go again.

"It's perfect, honestly," Judai said. "Sho's the first friend I made at Duel Academy, so he can get that card back to me really quick. Besides that, he's persistent enough to make sure that I don't do something stupid and cause myself trouble again by getting rid of Yubel or something."

Yusei nodded. "Alright, then. Sho will take the card to you at Duel Academy."

As Sho took the card from Judai, the brunette started feeling strange.

"Aniki?" Sho asked. "You okay?"

"I...feel kinda weird...," he answered.

_"__Judai,"_ Yubel said in his head, smiling. _"I think it worked..."_

The green-eyed spirit felt himself fading away as well. He happily embraced the red-eyed one and started writing a message for those who had helped his best friend.

Asuka looked at Judai and gasped. "Judai! Y-your body is—"

He looked down. Slowly, starting from his legs, his body was fading.

"Guess this means it worked." He looked at his friends and said, "Thanks, you guys."

"No problem, pal," Yusei assured him. "Enjoy your new life, and see you at the duel."

Tears flowed down Sho's cheeks. "Aniki... Goodbye, Aniki! I'll miss you!"

_"__Idiot...,"_ Yubel muttered.

Judai grinned. "Sho. You'll see me in a few months."

Sho sweat. "O-oh! That's right. Heh."

"Judai... I promise," Asuka said. "I'll try my best to be a better friend to you this time. No matter what happens."

"Asuka..." He smiled at her. "You're the best."

"And _I_ promise to forget all my feelings for you and get on with my life," Manjoume said, smirking.

Judai, faded to his thighs, grinned and said, "Yeah, good luck with that."

"Well, I'm making the same promise as Asuka," Aki said, turning to Yusei. "I promise. No matter how hard things get, I'll _always_ have your back! Even if you turn into a hideous monster, I'll still stand by you. I promise."

"Aki...," Yusei said.

Turning back to Judai, Aki said, "Goodbye, Judai. Have a great life. We'll never forget you!"

"Bye, Aki," he said.

"Hey! And, if you ever remember us, feel free to come a-haunting whenever you choose!" Crow invited, grinning and waving goodbye. "Just give me a warning first, okay?"

Judai grinned. "Yeah, I'll do that."

Considering the weirdness of the space/time continuum, he figured he'd remember the guys about the time that they helped him in this lifetime.

"Just don't touch my stuff, okay?" Jack said.

Faded to his neck, Judai grinned again. "Heh. What are you gonna do about it if I do?"

"I'll call some ghost hunters, that's what! You leave my things alone, you hear me!? They're my things!"

Yusei, Aki, and Crow laughed.

"What!?" Jack demanded. "What's so funny!? Hey!"

"Anyway, Judai," Yusei said. "I'm glad it all worked out in the end. Glad I got to see your smiling face again, too. I kinda missed it." He smiled at his old friend.

Judai smiled back. "Again, thanks for the help. You're a great friend."

"No problem, pal."

As his head began to fade away, Judai felt himself fading. "Goodbye, guys. I promise, I'll never forget you."

The spirit finished up his message just as he disappeared.

Looking behind the others, Judai smiled when he saw the message left there. Suddenly it all made sense. "Thank _you,_ too, bro."

As he disappeared, the others all turned. On the wall behind them, there was a message: "Thank you for helping my best friend. The time stone was made by me just for this purpose. A scale off my Rainbow Dragon bathed in my wishes so he could be happy again and get back everything he lost. I couldn't have done it without you, though. Thank you, everyone. Johan Andersen."

They stared, stunned, for a couple of minutes as the message also began to fade.

"Okay...," Asuka said at last. "I may not know this Johan guy yet, but it looks like he _really_ cares about Judai!"

"N-no kidding...," Sho said. "I-I mean, if t-that message meant anything, I need t-to find that g-guy if I w-want to always be Aniki's b-best friend..."

"I don't believe that!" Crow said. "So we were followed by _another_ spirit!? How many spirits did that guy know?"

"Hmm. So that's it, huh?" Yusei said. "Then it won't be long before that time stone expires, too, guys. Better head back." He turned to the three from this time and added, "Good luck with the new Judai, you three. Try to take care of him, okay?"

"Absolutely," Asuka said. "I'm _never_ letting _that_ happen_ ever_ again. Like I told the other one, I'll be the best friend I can be."

"Me, too!" Sho said. "I'll always stay by his side, no matter _what_ happens!"

Manjoume humphed. "Well, good luck with that. I think I'll take what I've learned from this and stay away from the guy. He sounds like an idiot, and I can't stand idiots. But have fun, you two."

"Good enough," Yusei said. "Well, guys?" he asked his friends. "Anything you want to say before we ship out?"

"Thank you, Asuka," Aki said, turning to the other girl. "I really enjoyed our time together, even if that place was kinda weird. And, like I said earlier, I'll remember your advice. Trust me, thanks to you, Yusei and I are gonna be together for a long time."

"Glad I could help," Asuka told her. "Good luck to you, too. Maybe we'll see each other again someday."

Aki smiled. "Bye, Asuka."

"Goodbye, Aki."

Manjoume said to Jack, "So, you're really going, then? Heh. So much for your dream of beating me in one turn, blindfolded, standing on your head, Jack. Not that you could've anyway." He smirked.

"Oh, we'll see about that!" Jack said. "One day, we _will_ meet again, and I'll be sure to beat you then!"

"Oh, it's on! I'll be more than glad to kick your butt! Dead _or_ alive!"

Jack smiled at the thought of that. "Heh. You're fun. See ya, Manjoume."

"Yeah, later, Jack!"

The two locked elbows, smirking at each other.

"Sheesh!" Crow said. "And I thought one Jack was bad. Glad they're saying goodbye to each other."

"Yeah, no kidding," Sho said. "No time period needs two Manjoumes, either."

"Hey!" Manjoume and Jack protested. "I heard that!"

Crow laughed. "Yeah. I see what ya mean! One _is_ bad enough!"

The two humphed.

"So, what are you gonna do when you get home, Crow?" Sho asked.

"Hmm. Good question," he said. "Well, I'm looking for a new job, that's one thing. What about you? Think you can make it as a duelist?"

"I don't know," Sho said. "Maybe."

Crow grinned. "Well, good luck with that! Stop by sometime and we'll see how good you were, okay?"

"A-are you saying I should stop by _your_ place as a g-g-gho—"

"Hey. Why not? Your future self did."

Sho stared for a moment, wide-eyed. "O-okay. Now I'm scared. W-what was I—"

"Helping out your Aniki," Crow cut him off.

"O-oh! That makes sense, then! Okay! I guess I could..."

Crow grinned. "Great! See you then! Can't wait to duel ya, little buddy!"

"S-sure..."

"Hey! Crow!" Jack called. "You about done saying goodbye!? 'Cause Yusei said we need to leave now! Hurry up already!"

"Right, coming!" Crow called. "Later, pal! Don't forget your promise, okay!?" he said to Sho as he ran over to the others.

"Yeah," the kid answered. "Okay. Bye, Crow!"

"Ready, everyone!?" Yusei asked. "Let's go!"

He pushed a button on the time visor, creating a wormhole to the future. Aki, Jack, and Crow went first, followed after by Yusei. Once they were gone, the wormhole closed.

As the three stood there, they thought about the adventure they had just had. In all honesty, it seemed way too crazy to be true.

"Okay, that was definitely the craziest adventure I've ever had," Manjoume said.

"Y-yeah," Sho agreed. "No kidding... My brother's never gonna believe this."

"Speaking of, we should get home. Our families are bound to be worried," Asuka said.

* * *

Well, Asuka turned out to be right. When she got home, her parents gave her hell about disappearing.

"Where have you been, young lady!?" her mother demanded. "You had us worried sick!"

"I'm sorry for worrying you, but it _was_ important," she started.

"I don't care if the fate of the world was on the line!" her father bellowed. "You're grounded!"

"Yes, Dad...," she said, knowing she could never convince them that she _had_ to go.

* * *

"Sho, where were you!?" Mrs. Marufuji demanded, wrapping her son in her arms. "I was so worried about you!"

"It's a long story, Mom," he answered.

Ryo crossed his arms. "Well, we're all ears, Sho."

Sho sweat; this was going to be a long day.

* * *

"Jun!" the eldest Manjoume brother said. "Where were you!?"

"Making a name for myself," he answered, hoping his brothers would buy this excuse. "Kicking weakling butt in space."

His brothers were torn—on the one hand, that sounded crazy. On the other, he was supposed to be the Manjoume Group's link to the dueling world.

Shaking their heads, the two decided to just let it drop. If their little brother wanted to claim he was dueling in space—which sounded very far-fetched—let him.

* * *

Alone in his room later, Sho lay on his bed, staring at the card he was supposed to give Judai.

"Yubel... So this is the card that caused Aniki so much pain..." Gripping it tighter, he said, "Well, I'll make sure to get it back to him! There's no way I'm letting Aniki suffer like that again!"


	22. Epilogue

**A/N: This is just a short little chapter to wrap things up. Technically an epilogue (like the title says). Hope you've enjoyed this story! We don't own Yugioh GX or Yugioh 5D's. Included lines from the anime were derived/taken from Gymleaderlance99's videos.**

* * *

The day of the practical part of the entrance exams rolled around, and Sho was surprised to learn that he had actually passed the written part of the exam. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure he would get in because of how poorly he had done on the practical part.

Asuka stood at the railing around the top level of the building, watching the examination duels. As a former student at the middle school, she was exempt from the entrance exams.

Manjoume frowned upon the "pathetic losers" who were taking the entrance exams. He had graduated from the middle school at the top of his class, so he felt he had a head-start on all of the new students.

A brunette came running up to stand beside Sho, his eyes on the duel between Daichi Misawa and the examiner.

"Alright! They're at it, they're at it!" he exclaimed.

Sho wasn't sure what the guy was so excited about, seeing as they were here to take a test. When he found out that the boy was indeed there to take the exam, he informed him that this was supposed to be the last duel, earning a rather worried reaction from the brunette. Somehow, though, the boy wound up dueling Professor Cronos for his examination duel...and he won.

It was a shock, sure, but Sho was thrilled that this guy had done so well.

Manjoume wasn't sure what was wrong with the world. A teacher losing to a guy who had the gall to show up late?

Asuka found the boy interesting since he had managed to defeat Cronos, who was supposed to be a really good duelist.

None of them knew the boy—at least, that was what they thought.

* * *

When Sho headed to his room with the boy from the entrance exams, who turned out to be his roommate, he realized that this boy who had beaten Cronos was Judai.

Suddenly it made sense to Sho why he called Judai "aniki." The guy was a great duelist, something Sho wished he could be. Well, since it already seemed wrong to call him anything else, Sho ranted briefly about fate, the Nameless Pharaoh, and Priest Seto as an excuse to call his not-yet-friend that nickname.

That's when Sho remembered the card he was carrying around. "Oh, one more thing, Aniki," he said.

"Hm? What's that?" Judai asked.

Sho dug around in one of his bags for a moment before pulling out the Yubel card. "Is this yours?" he asked, holding out the card.

Judai stared at it for a moment, not sure if it was or not—or why this new roommate of his would think it was.

Sho shoved the card in his face and repeated, "I said, is this _yours!?_"

Upon getting a closer look, Judai recognized the card in Sho's hand. "Yubel!" he said, snatching the card. "Where did you get this?"

"Doesn't matter," Sho answered. "All that does is that you DON'T LOSE THAT CARD! UNDERSTAND!? NEVER LOSE THAT THING AGAIN!"

Unheard by the two new students, someone moaned from the top bunk.

Judai stared at Sho a moment, stunned. "I didn't lose it in the first place," he said at last, sweating. "And I wasn't planning on losing it again."

_"__Judai, so you _do_ care,"_ Yubel said before sniffling a little.

"I sure hope so!" Sho said to Judai.

"Okay!" a voice said from above them. "That's enough! Quit shouting, whoever you are!"

"Huh?" Judai said, looking up along with Sho.

* * *

Upon getting a closer look at him in the duel arena, Manjoume knew who the Red student that had beaten Cronos was, and he did _not_ want to be friends with him. In fact, he decided that he would treat him as a new and hated rival instead, maybe bully him a bit.

Asuka got on the ebony-haired duelist for that, and she recognized Judai while she was standing up for him there. With how she had discovered she felt about him, she wanted so badly to start a healthy relationship with him, but she didn't dare rush it for fear of seeming like a stalker. Instead, she settled for telling Manjoume off and trying to form a friendship.

Of course, the line Judai had told her about—the one that would prove he had liked her from the start and wasn't gay—came out of his mouth about the time she got Manjoume and his cronies to leave: "Could it be you've fallen in love with me at first sight?" he asked, pointing at himself with a goofy grin on his face.

She giggled a bit before telling him he and Sho should get to their dorm's welcome dinner. Knowing that he was interested made it more difficult to move slowly, but she forced herself to keep her cool and just let things happen naturally—after all, he didn't know her yet, even if she did know him.

* * *

It took awhile for Manjoume to get dragged into the group. Only after he had lost to Judai and eventually run off to North Academy—and then lost to Judai again—did he learn how that had happened. He had gotten himself demoted to the Red Dorm by leaving, which led Judai to follow him everywhere as if they were actually friends. There was no doubt in his mind that this was how things had gone down in the other timeline, too.

Over time, though, Manjoume began to see why he and Judai had become friends in the first place—not that he was going to admit that aloud. And there was no way he was going to admit they were friends, either.

* * *

While Manjoume was learning why he was friends with Judai, Sho was learning all the reasons he liked spending time with the guy. Much to Yubel's annoyance, the two became inseparable, but Judai was able to get Yubel to leave his new friends alone rather than tormenting them, even if she didn't consider them her friends.

* * *

When third year rolled around, the arrival of some exchange students brought a boy with a familiar name into their lives—Johan Andersen. The friend future Judai had talked about so much. The only one who had stood by him throughout his torturous existence, from what he had said. Asuka, Manjoume, and Sho went into shock temporarily when they realized that this was the friend that Judai had mentioned—and the one that had done so much to help him get his life back, even though it had taken 2000 years.

Sho confused the Norwegian transfer by asking for advice on how to be a good friend. While Johan didn't get it, we went along with it anyway.

* * *

Asuka, meanwhile, had spent the past couple years learning why she cared so much for Judai. Knowing full well that he shared her feelings, she confessed one night their third year. Judai seemed a bit nervous, yet happy. When she went off to college in America, she and Judai kept in touch, getting together over her breaks. Eventually, the two of them got married and had a happy life together.

* * *

2000 years later, the four Signers arrived back in their time. The time stone vanished as soon as the wormhole closed, having served its purpose. The four then went and checked historical documents, looking for the name Judai Yuki. They finally found some old newspapers mentioning a marriage and, to their relief, his eulogy, which mentioned he was survived by his daughter, Renee, and some grandchildren.

Not long after, Yusei and his friends went their separate ways. Aki graduated from Duel Academy and headed to college to become a doctor. Jack went off to the Pros to get his title back. Crow joined a team and entered the Pros. Rua and Ruka, the twins, went to live with their parents. Yusei was the only one left in Neo Domino City, continuing his research on the duel energy that was used to power the D-Wheels and the entire city.

Intending to keep their relationship going, Yusei and Aki kept in touch. After all, Aki's conversation with Asuka in the past had taught her that a long distance relationship was nothing compared to what could happen—like having a husband who doesn't age or die, or having to take a third wheel along everywhere to prevent disaster. She intended to keep her promise, no matter how long it took her.

* * *

As Yusei sat alone at home one night, he heard a voice whisper in his ear.

_"__Thanks, pal. __You're the best..."_

Yusei smiled and said, "That's what friends are for, Judai. That's what friends are for."


End file.
